To my Dots.

The time has come. This letter month. I am always amazed at what we do in a month. What we learn. How things have shifted. What you are learning in school. We are a month away from the end of another school year. The next tooth you lost, the growth spurt, the new food you tried, the Kumon pages, the tiny zit that appeared, the newest wrinkle on my face, Passover, your not so straight hair that you want straight, the new bracket in your mouth, your new routine in the morning, your broken nail, the harder book you read to me, the math test you aced, the games you downloaded on your itouch, the DC Cupcake, Temple Run, my gained pound, new artwork you brought home from school, Easter, the anticipation of what makes you the most anxious, getting through it, my love for Frango Mints, your love for Frango Mints, celebrating your twin cousins birthdays, my failed cleanse, the coldest shoot you sat for me, the job I did not get. The season has been unseasonably unseasoned. We have had snow in April, well, flurries, but still. It is usually in the 70′s and 80′s by now. You are another month older. I am so happy about the things we have been able to celebrate. Even the tiniest of things. We are working towards our goals. We are finding ourselves. We are transforming. We are being vulnerable together. That there is no shame or fear in our vulnerabilities. We are learning from our mistakes and celebrating our amazing strengths. I am reading “Daring Greatly” with Brené Brown. She is teaching me to be a better parent through pushing through, leaning in, through knowing how vulnerability is one of the best emotions and things you can have as a parent and as a child. It is moving through all of these things in life that we somehow fear or feel shame from, it is learning to cope, it is learning to grab it in it’s tracks and transform from the feelings into strength and resolve. This is a month of grace, with resolute and uncanny vulnerability and socking it in the face, acknowledge it, grow from it and move up, over, down, sideways or lean into it. And that all of us have these things. From Brené Brown’s Parent Manifesto: “You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections…..I will let you see me and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you……and live and love with my whole heart and dare greatly…” These are the things I am so passionate about and what I want to teach you and for you to know.

These images were taken April 11, 2013 at the Eckert Family farm.

Please link to our wonderful and inspiring blog circle. Next is one of my dearest and sweetest photographer friends, Amy Lucy Lockheart out of Minneapolis, MN.