the shadows we cast
What I see is my giant shadow engulfing my little niece as she sits in the grass. What I hope is that I have enough goodness in me that my example will cast half as great a shadow on her life as that literal one. What I fear is I’m falling far, far short of even half.
.
You can preach
a better sermon
with your life
than with your lips.
– Oliver Goldsmith
♥
Goin’ Fishin’
What I see is my niece heading out with her fishing tackle in tow. What I think is I like catching fish more than I like fishing.
.
If people concentrated on the
really important things in life,
there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.
– Doug Larson
♥
Holding On and Letting Go
What I see is my niece holding on to her cat. What I remember is that cat did not want to be held on to! What I know is I do the same thing all too often – hold on tight to things that want to be let go. And sometimes I don’t hold tight enough to the things I should. But it’s a brand new year, and a good time to evaluate what I hold dear, what I need to put more time and energy into, and what I need to just let go.
Cheers to a new year
and another chance
for us to get it right.
– Oprah Winfrey
♥
.
all the ages we’ve been
What I see is my niece playing tea pots. What I think is, “I used to have hair like that. Golden and shiny and beautiful. (sigh) And now I don’t.” What I feel is old. What I hope is I’m not nearly as old as I’ll get.
The great thing
about getting older
is that you don’t lose all
the other ages you have been.
– Madeleine L’Engle
♥
.
Dress-up
My niece, who just turned a year old last month. What I see is Allison practically swallowed up in her sister’s dress up clothes. What I think is she’ll grow into them faster than I’d like.
.
Making the decision to have a child
is momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart
go walking around outside your body.
– Elizabeth Stone
♥
In Between
What I see is Amanda, standing between the two doors at her house. On May 5th. What I think is she picks out her own clothes.
.
I asked her to do this,
just so I could take a picture of it.
Does that make me a bad aunt,
a bigger kid than she is,
or just creative?
(By the way, that’s a rhetorical question.)
♥
A Helping Hand
.
Sometimes we need other people
to save us from ourselves.
Whether we’re aware of it or not.
♥
See how she flies!
This is the picture that sparked my photo blog creativity once again - albeit almost 3 weeks after I took it. What I see is Amanda swinging wildly out over the body of water that she calls Swan Lake. What I think is that will never be me. What I wonder is when did I get too scared to fly?
.
I don’t believe for one moment
that youth is wasted on the young.
♥
see how she grows
The last time I posted a picture of baby Allison, she was...well, a baby. I guess she's still a baby, but it's getting harder and harder to think so. What I see here is a girl who can take herself places. And is she ever motivated to move! What I think is she's growing up way too fast.
.
Babies are such a nice way
to start people.
– Don Herrold
♥
please stop looking at that light
What I see is Amanda intently gazing into a spotlight at the botanical gardens. If I had known she was going sit down and stare into it, I wouldn't have asked her to go over there. She simply refused to stop. Maybe she wanted to touch it, but at least knew enough not to do that. What I think is this just couldn't have been good for her.
.
If you don’t have your own children,
you have to settle for ruining
other people’s kids.
♥
How Time Flies
My niece, baby Allison, back when she was still a tiny little thing. What I see is a darling baby, who was always asleep. What I think of is how fast she's growing, and the now six-month-old who was just sitting on my knee and kicking her little legs for all she was worth.
.
Time is at once
the most valuable
and the most perishable
of all our possessions.
– John Randolph
♥
If My Eyes Were Cameras 