grateful.
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, photography, Thoughts and Feelings
as aloneness, California, fun, fun thing, God, hand, jenna, life, Ollie, Pacific Ocean, picture, role reversal, sense of togetherness, sister jenna, thing
One fun thing about leggings is that they have no pockets.
Okay, so that’s not like the most fun thing, but bear with me.
Because see, since they have no pockets, that means that I hand my camera over to other people to store in their pockets for the day.
Thank God not all of us are in the habit of wearing leggings. Although, Jase did admit today that they do look quite comfortable.
But by the end of the day, I find pictures that I didn’t even know were taken.
Like this one, compliments of my sister Jenna.
And there are so many things that I love about this picture. Our shadows stretching out long behind us, mingling with each other. The light spilling out over the mountain, like the sky alone can no longer contain its rays so the mountain steps in to bear some of the grand burden of light.
And the sense of togetherness, too. How we’re all walking in the same direction, resolutely, almost.
It makes me think of another picture. One that was taken about six months ago, out here in California, too.
And I love this picture so much.
But it’s interesting. Ollie’s little hand in mine felt like a role reversal. Usually it’s the adult bringing comfort to the kid, right? But at that time in my life, he was comforting me; he didn’t know it, but he was helping to fight what came over me so easily then: a feeling of aloneness.
And that other picture has a greater feeling of being surrounded. Again, of togetherness. Which is about right, presently.
And these days when people ask me how I am, there’s one word that comes to mind: grateful. And yes, I’m so much more; life is usually evoking more from me than one word affords. But still, when I was showering tonight, washing out the Pacific Ocean from my hair, I couldn’t help but remember how good life is and how it comes and goes, like the waves that beat upon the shore, taking and giving but always remaining mysterious and awesome and interesting and full of magic and when the waters recede, I think I’m still here; when the waters recede, I know I’m still here.
And I’m grateful.
