“Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.”

-From the Parent’s Tao Te Ching by William Martin

I was so so happy when we were able to make this session happen! We had to reschedule multiple times because of weather and COVID-19 restrictions, so it was wonderful to be able to finally do it. I’ve photographed this family a few times and I fall in love with them more and more each time. Grandma was even able to come and participate and my, oh my, is she adored! It was so sweet to see. There was some rain during our session, mostly just sprinkling (can you spot it in a lot of the pictures?!?! It makes for a magical effect), and even a little bit of lightning in the distance, but that did not stop us. It was a beautiful evening and the sun came out right at the end. I definitely don’t utilize this spot enough but I sure need to because it is stunning. We explored, we played, we cuddled (well, I didn’t-I kept my distance ;-) ), and laughed. I don’t think I could have asked for anything better. I am so grateful for the opportunity to watch this dear family grow and it is such a privilege to document their lives every single time.