Happy Mother's Day

Between my mom and my wife, the kids are in great hands

Two of the loveliest moms I know: Jill and Olivia.

My mom’s mom died a week after her daughter was born prematurely more than 80 years ago. Soon after, my grandfather joined the Navy and sent my mother to live with her grandparents in West Texas.

While he was in the Pacific, both of mom’s grandparents passed away within a week of each other; she only saw her father a handful of times in the first five years of her life. And when he returned, it was with a new wife — a person devoid of almost all maternal instinct — in tow.

Tragedy and loss are things my mom knew intimately before she could recall all the details, although her memory always has been sharp and specific, as has her tongue at times. My parents had a great love story that was not hindered or halted by my dad’s illness that consumed much of the last 34 years of their 43-year marriage.

More than anything, my mom is a survivor who somehow has maintained her generosity of spirit. She gives a lot and asks for little in return. We agree to disagree on many things, especially today’s politics, but what I admire most about both of my parents is they never told me what or how to think. They let me figure it out on my own.

I’m very lucky and thankful to still have my mother in my life. And our children are grateful for their mom as well, as am I.

Emma’s tribute

Even though she would deny it, Emma is in many respects the best writer in the family. Like her dad, our youngest daughter sometimes finds it easier to convey her feelings through the written rather than the spoken word. Here is her 2017 tribute to her mom, written when Emma was a freshman at Point Park University.

“While I love Point Park, some things were inevitably hard to cope with. Throughout my time here I have received care packages from my parents, always accompanied by an encouraging message (which I could tell my mom had written). These packages are sent out through the school, with all the notes prewritten back in August. 

“It was during this time in which I was struggling with a few things that I decided to get a tattoo with the quote ‘This too shall pass.’ I told my mom about this idea, and she loved it. A few days later, I received another care package. When I opened it the first words on it were ‘This too shall pass.’

“My dad has always said that my mom and I are very similar, but it wasn't until reading that message that I truly knew how much. I'm beginning to realize that she probably understands me better than I understand myself. Everything she does is to protect and support the people she loves. She is so hardworking and strong, and it inspires me to do the same and always work to be a better person. 

“As I grow up, I'm more and more grateful for my parents, and everything they have provided for my siblings and me. I love you so much, Mom.”

I can’t say it better myself.

Happy Mother’s Day to Jill and Olivia. We love you both more than you know.

The Past Week

Interesting fact: I’ve worked more in the month of May than I did the last nine months of 2020. And the month is only eight days old.

That fact illustrates two things: The devastating effects of COVID on my photography business and the rebound that has happened now that the world is opening back up. I wrote about the latter in an essay a couple of weeks ago and now I just hope it will stay open.

Grinding Along

Here’s what has happened over the past week:

• Sunday-Tuesday: Jill and I went to Denver — our first trip on a plane together since January 2020, although we’ve both traveled separately — for a mini-getaway that included our first show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I shot the show — Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, with Waxahatchee opening — for Americana Highways and wrapped up a freelance story on animals and climate change while there.

• Wednesday: Flew home and shot the Legal Aid-District of Columbia’s annual dinner for the first time since 2019.

• Thursday-Friday: Photographed the American Staffing Association’s Staffing Law Conference, also in D.C. I’m also working on a feature for ASA’s Staffing Success magazine.

• Saturday and today: Shooting the Metropolitan School of the Arts’ spring ballet, an original production of “Beauty and the Beast” developed by the studio’s Jackie Doherty. Wrote a Stage Dad column on Saturday as well as this essay.

Stage Dad: Education on Location

On Monday, I’ll sort through the past week’s photos and work on the ASA feature and the Americana Highways essay before shooting another conference on Tuesday and Wednesday. The rest of May includes working on another magazine feature and column, a trip to North Carolina, and several photo assignments.

Re-entry has been intense, but it’s also nice to be back to work. I’m grateful.

The Daily Photos

Here are the Daily Photos posted for the week of May 2-8 to my Facebook business page. The photos represent the random things I capture during travels to various places. To see a larger version of this image on your desktop, just click on the photo.

If you’re on Facebook, you can check out the full-size images and more details about them there. If not, you can view my page by clicking on the link above. (You don’t have to be on Facebook to see my page.)

If you have any questions or are interested in purchasing a print, let me know in the comments or by sending an email.

See you next week!