These photos are from one year ago. The little ones and I took an impulsive walk to the park to play in the newly fallen leaves and ended up at the skate park instead. Oh, how that strengthened my mama-bones, turning Theo loose into the well of concrete and steel - this boy of mine who had almost the entire top of his skull removed when he was only ten months old. These impromptu photos turned out to be some of my very favorites of my sweet, funny, courageous dudes. And are they not such Dudes! in these photos? These words - the original words that accompanied these photos a year ago - are dear to me, for they remind me that motherhood has deepened my love for the shifting of seasons. With each falling leaf, each shade of warm color, I am extraordinarily reminded that life moves swiftly these days, begging us to take nothing for granted. The seasons ground us now more than ever. One year ago. Today. This is how we Mamas remember.
Gaining Confidence {9.22.2011}
We set out to do some late afternoon adventuring. The falling leaves my inspiration. However, it was something else that caught Theo's eye.
I thought we'd just watch from a distance but he edged his way closer and closer until I heard myself say, "That's dangerous, Bud. You need to get back and watch from here, please." He said he really wanted to try, that he's a big kid and he'd know what to do.The mother in me wanted to protest: What if he got laughed at by the teenagers? How would that make him feel? Not to mention the thought of a severe injury made me queasy. But the aliveness in me pushed past my worries. Before I could say no, I took a deep breath and let him go. The teenagers rallied, gave him his space, high-fived him when he'd ride up the side and slide back down. They said they'd never seen anyone actually in the park on training wheels before; they said, "Totally awesome, Dude!"He beamed, the look in his eyes full of awe and the need for more.When I showed these photos to my husband he was a bit shocked, said he wasn't sure if it had been him that he would've let him do it. I shrugged my shoulders, aware only of the happiness it brought him, brought me.A whole new world opened up to us on this day. . . .52 Photos Project
