Monday, March 21, 2011

lessons from kyra and kylie

last friday i got to spend the day at longwood gardens with kesh and my 2 nieces, kyra and kylie. i brought my camera with me because my nieces are my favorite subjects to photograph and as i was looking through the photos i realized that they taught me several things that day.

be thankful.
kylie, who is 2, makes me smile every time we walk through the conservatory at longwood. she knows the value in stopping to smell the flowers. i'm not sure where she picked this up but she always does it. she sticks her cute little nose right in there and takes in a deep whiff of it's fragrance. it's the cutest thing.

i realize it's a lesson God has been trying to teach me over the last couple of weeks. gratitude. being thankful for the little things- the joys we tend to overlook, especially in the midst of our pain. i'm doing my best to remind myself daily to be thankful despite my circumstances. it's in those places of gratitude that i find hope.


laugh as much as possible.
this might seem like an obvious thing, but laughter really is good for the soul. children constantly remind me of this. there's a section at longwood called the children's water garden and it's full of fountains and waterfalls. this particular one is a "jumping fountain" and it always makes the girls laugh as they try to "catch" the water.

last night i found myself laughing several times with a friend of mine and it really did brighten my spirits. it might be a momentary distraction but it's a start to opening my heart to joy again and for that i am grateful.

it's ok to cry.
while in the water garden kylie slipped and bumped her head. she was fine, but it scared her a bit. her mom was there to pick her up and hold her while she cried. i think even as adults we need to be reminded that tears are ok. if it's part of your process then embrace it. it doesn't make you weak- it makes you vulnerable... something we can probably all learn to be better at. we all need those safe places where we can go and be 100% real and express where we're at without fear of shame or condemnation. i am so grateful for those in my life who have been that outlet for me.

here's a couple more of my favorite pictures from that day. this first one was taken 2 seconds before kylie sprayed me with water from that fountain. look at her face! you can just tell she's up to no good! haha! 

this one of kyra is probably one of my favorite shots of her ever... she's growing up so fast and has such a beautiful heart. i think this photo really captures that.

thank you girls for a fun day! and for teaching me so much... even at your young age. aunt susie loves you!


10 comments:

Katie @ Loves of Life said...

Melt me. The photos are gorgeous and Kylie totally looks
Guilty in the one! Love this;)

Keshet said...

Beautiful! I was SO happy you were able to accompany us on Friday and this blog post just made my heart feel so full. Love you!

Hailey @ Me and My Boys said...

So sweet!

Unknown said...

I'm glad you had a good day! Looks like you had loads of fun :)

a blog full of weldons. said...

i LOVE these photos...they so capture the spirit of joy that kyra and kylie have! i am constantly learning by looking through life in the eyes of a child...you are right...we have a lot to learn from all of these little ones!

oh, and i love the blog makeover :)

Kayla said...

It's always great to have children around to remind us of the little pleasures in life...I'm glad your nieces are around to provide a little distraction during this difficult time

Lucy Marie said...

Very sweet. Children have a way of bringing so much light and love to a day.

Ruth Witmer said...

I learned most of my lessons from you kiddies too! So thankful for all that you are still teaching me. I love you so much!

Gina said...

I love working in a school for this reason. I always say my kids teach me as much as I teach them.

MommyBozant said...

I am a true believer that kids are the best teachers. My kids teach me something new everyday.