This is a photograph of a family that’s come together to support one another amid a series of losses the past six months.  There is love and caring, trust and help. We’ve shared our laughter, our tears, our sorrow, and our togetherness; we’ve opened our hearts to one another, and we’ve learned new things about each other in the process.  When one of us was down, there was someone to listen to us, someone to comfort us, someone to hold us close.  There was someone to take the lead when decisions needed to be made or tasks needed to be accomplished.  I have a renewed appreciation for each of the people in this photograph.

With the recent deaths in my family I now understand first-hand the importance of photographing and preserving the memories that we collect over a lifetime.  This photograph was taken after the funeral service for my mother.  There was a mixture of sorrow and celebration in all of our hearts, but this is my family and I’m so very proud of our love and connection – something instilled in us all by both my mother and my father.