I take hundreds of photos every month, and most of them don’t get shared with anyone, let alone online. And yet the moments in time that those photos capture are just as important a part of our story as the other images that I do choose to share.
I originally created this blog as a way of documenting our lives, a way of watching the girls grow into who they’re going to be and a way of remembering who they once were. It’s something I want them to be able to look back on as they get older, because memories fade but (digital) photographs don’t.
It’s easy (and tempting) to only focus on sharing the fun bits, the memorable parts, the highlights and the celebrations. But I’m learning more and more as I continue through this crazy journey of motherhood that it’s really important to me that I capture the ordinary, everyday times that we spend together as well. The bits of the jigsaw that fill in the gaps to complete the picture. The tantalising glimpses into who our girls are becoming.
The chaos, the calm and all the moments in between.
This monthly feature – The Moments In Between – is a space for me to share all of those magical bits that would otherwise just stay in a folder on my laptop, never to see the light of day.
NOVEMBER
November was very quiet. The girls went to school, Neil and I worked, we stayed home at weekends and didn’t manage to get outdoors into nature even once. It rained (a lot). I only picked up my camera a handful of times: once when we did some baking; once when Mimi was home from school one day and we painted; plus the occasional candid moment here and there. That’s it.
Truthfully, I think we’re all absolutely exhausted. It’s been a hard year and it’s starting to take it’s toll in a variety of ways. I think I’ve even run out of words as I don’t seem to have much to say.
I’m grateful that I captured the images that I did. Grateful that those moments and memories have been frozen in time. I came across a quote that someone had shared on Instagram the other day and it really resonated with me:
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance” ~ Aristotle
That’s exactly what these photographs are. They’re my heart and soul on display for all to see. It doesn’t matter that there are fewer than usual, or that they are the most ordinary of moments. They still matter. They still have value and meaning. They still ignite emotions.
I remember every detail, every movement, every gesture and expression, from every image. The exact reason why I pressed the shutter in that moment. The thoughts I was thinking and the feelings I was feeling. The words that were spoken. The connection that was shared. They’re so much more than just photographs. They all have a significance for me far deeper than the surface level of what you see.
Every single one brings back layers and layers of meaning, not just of the moment in the picture but of moments gone before and now, looking back at them, the moments that came afterwards too.
Every single one speaks to me in so many ways.
Every single one is a piece of our jigsaw.
Every single one is like a sentence in our life story.
This is us.
