I read an article a while back about parenting, and there was a particular passage in it that has stuck with me even months after reading it. It said, “My children are not truly mine. They don’t belong to me; they’ve simply been entrusted to me. They are a gift life gave to me, but one that I must one day give back to life. They must grow up and go away and that is as it should be.” As much as I know this to be true, I always feel a deep pain in my chest and a big lump in my throat every time I recall the quote. Though it may be years away, it’s hard to imagine someday not seeing my little girls every day, especially Mio (at this time) since I’ve already spent three years making so many memories with her. When I feel that pain, I often find myself picking up the camera and just endlessly snapping away, so that I can document and capture every little expression of hers… so that I can look back on it years later when this time is long gone and my memory fails to recall them clearly. Parenting is such a daunting and challenging task sometimes and I constantly find myself wondering about what the future holds, but I want to more fully appreciate and savor the present.
Anyway, here are some photos from one of such afternoons that I found myself continuously clicking the shutter while watching Mio play. She is at such a sweet and fun age right now.
While you may not be mine to keep, I will love you always.