Before He Left

I shot a session with my friend’s  family before her husband deployed recently. Her boys are friends with mine and just as full of energy. It was fun to give them a beach, baseballs and shovels and watch them leap into action. I was swept along with the sweet energy of their family, running from one game to the next. I saw it in her eyes though and I remembered. That soft sigh, holding each moment in, treasuring it, knowing you have to let go soon. Savoring each minute together to give you the strength to make it through the months apart.

The sun sank low and the images grew even more beautiful as the light fled. I thought about how it’s those times of adversity that bring the beauty, that show the real stuff of life, what holds a family together. The love is pictured clearer in the dusky moments. And the coming home, oh the coming home . . . It’s glorious and maybe even worth every second apart . . .

Thank you for letting me share this night with you, boys running and dad playing. Thank you for your sweet open spirit, it was a joy to sketch your family. And hello, does girlfriend have gorgeous eyes or what?!