Over the weekend, the photography community lost a beautiful soul to ovarian cancer – Jen Burgess Thompson, mother to 2 young boys. I wish I could say I knew of this because I followed her journey, but I only learned of her after seeing many of my photographer friends sad Facebook updates and clicking through to read her blog.
Today, Clickin Moms is paying tribute to her on the CM Pro Daily Project blog by having CM Pros post pictures of themselves with their kids… something so few of us moms and mom-photographers have many of.
The importance of having pictures for our kids to look back on that include mom was addressed in a recent Huffington Post piece by Allison Tate: “The Mom Stays In The Picture” Our kids deserve to have photographic evidence that we were in their lives, no matter if we have a double chin,or frizzy hair, or any other number of excuses we use to stay behind the lens.
I’m everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won’t be here — and I don’t know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now — but I want them to have pictures of me. – Allison Tate
As soon as I saw the pictures from the CM Pro Daily Project blog scrolling through my Facebook feed, I made a promise to myself to get a picture with the kids before the day was through. And I wouldn’t let myself turn it into a big fuss. I didn’t change out of my “lazy” clothes. I didn’t put the kids in matching outfits. I found a spot where I could rest my camera on the counter and use my wireless remote to snap away.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep Kendall still long enough, but I wound up with this one of Leyna and me, snuggling on the couch late this afternoon.
This is what we do every day. Ever since she gave up her 2nd nap months ago, she insists on just being still around 4 p.m. and cuddling with me on the couch.
This is real life. With me. Because I’m here too.
And I couldn’t be more grateful for that.