Over the last month or so, I have been working very diligently on the scrapbook of Reese's first year. I'm hoping to avoid a repeat of our wedding and honeymoon scrapbook, which took 2 years of procrastination and a large pregnant belly before I actually got my act together and finished it. I started my most recent scrapbooking marathon by going through the pictures I have for each month to decide which ones would make the cut (no pun intended). As I was sorting through them, I was disappointed by the lack of pictures of Reese and I together. In fact, there are a couple of months where I don't appear in any pictures at all!But then something occurred to me. Even though my face appears in only 5 percent of the pictures, I was holding the camera 95 percent of the time. Most of those smiles are directed at me. I created most of those moments. And I captured most of those memories. My face may not be in every picture, but my heart and soul definitely are.
As I think about it on an even deeper level, it's such a beautiful analogy for my role as a mother. We see a beautiful picture and we usually focus on the subject of that picture. Few people think about the person behind the lens and all the work that goes into getting that perfect shot. But without a photographer, there would be no picture. If the picture represents our life, then I am the photographer who shapes it. I work behind the scenes so my family can shine in the spotlight. I slave in the kitchen to give my family delicious meals. I clean the house to give my family a relaxing environment. I do all the dirty work to give my family more quality time together. And although my work sometimes feels invisible, its effects are very real.
So when you see a picture-perfect image of a newborn sleeping peacefully in a crib....
or a laughing toddler throwing spaghetti...
love this post!!!
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