calm resignation

 
This was actually supposed to be a family portrait, but dad was busy retrieving the wayward (and super fast) two-year old brother while mom and sister looked on. I’ve learned that when it comes to family portraits it’s wise to focus on what you have rather than what is missing. A lesson that can be appropriately applied to life in general. Of course the desire is to have all family members present for a family portrait. But sometimes desires that hinge on the action/cooperation of someone or something you can’t control remain unfulfilled. So you take what you get. No, it’s more than that……you find beauty in what you have.

When I looked at this image I felt it conveyed a calm resignation. This was at the very end of the session, where the “perfect” portrait of all family members in this particular location at this particular time never came to be. It just wasn’t in the cards. Is calm resignation an admission of defeat? I don’t think so. There’s a peace that comes from letting go of what we hoped would happen but appears will not. That’s what I see here, what remains when the struggle is finally released.

~Cynthia