Easter Sunday

Every year after Easter Mass my family treks across the yard to set up for our annual family photo. Sometimes, believe it or not, this may be the only photograph of all five of us together that is documented all year long. While I may be good at snapping photos of the kids in a real lifestyle setting, I am not so good about snapping photos to capture all of us together.

This year we didn't get our family photo. It was a quiet and calm Easter and I decided to set aside all stresses. And yes, sometimes digging out the tripod and getting the family to take a photo can be stressful. I also skipped the fresh flowers on the dining room table, I forget to set out the crystal water glasses and the colorful kids table turned out to be three children plopped up on the island with stools. I meant to capture pictures of the food but it just never happened. And you know what? I'm completely okay with these missed moments. While we do have stress in our lives, I managed to set it aside for a night. I managed to focus on the family present, the guests, the toasts in good cheer and the food. Rather than documenting the moment I decided to live the moment. I decided to be present.

As I move forward into spring and further into 2015 the focus of my days has been: to be present. With a blink of an eye my son will be ten this summer (gasp!) and I feel like there are moments in life I have missed. When I am old and gray the last thing I want hovering over my mind are the moments I have missed in life. I want to be full of moments embraced and moments lived.

“The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes

These photos aren't perfect, but they are perfect to me. I will always remember the story we shared as we walked through the woods, the fox that ran in front of us, the tears that Jess shed because the boys scared her and how her big brother scooped her up in his arms. These are the moments I want to be full of at the end of the day.

If you want to see the colorful kids table, the family photograph, the fresh flowers and more here's last year's Easter post :)