10/18/2019
To the moms who want the “perfect” family photo:
If your photographer includes an image in your gallery, and you’re smiling (or laughing) so much that you have a double chin, don’t skip over it, don’t get rid of it, and please don’t think less of your photographer for including it.
In fifty years when you’re 80 something and that child has grand children of their own, I guarantee that you’ll appreciate these kind of joy filled images for what they are, and not pick apart what you think are flaws.
What I’m asking of you is to not wait fifty years to appreciate the amazing capture of your own laughter.
I got there sooner than when I’m eighty because we went through the Worst with this beautiful young woman with me in this photo. With her permission, I’ll share with you guys that Brynn was bullied so much as a pre-teen that she was suicidal. When she was around ten to twelve, I lived in so much fear of losing her that if she was quietly reading for too long, I would be afraid to check on her. Not many people know this side of our lives.
We went through hell together, and have cautiously made it out the other side, and the joy of that feels something like diamonds—strengthened by that very fire and pressure that tried to destroy us.
I’ve cried over this photo, the sheer happiness of it is something that for a while I was scared to even hope for. I wouldn't care if I had MULTIPLE double chins, messy hair and a bo**er hanging out of my nose (which yeah, I guess I would photoshop THAT out!), the way my heart squeezes when I look at us laughing outweighs any "imperfections".
So if you only take away ONE thing from this post, I hope it’s that you can remember that double chins go hand in hand with real laughter. Maybe you won't see it this year, or next year...but hold on to that picture that you may not *love* yourself in, it just may become one of your favorites.