My Pivotal Moment

by Cathy

My sister called one morning to talk about selling our parent’s home. Our mom had been gone eight years, our dad five. The same renter had been in the house for the past four years, but she was ready to sell it. It was her call as she is the one who had to take care of it, living in the same town. “Will you come help me clean it up?” she asked.

“Of course,” I told her and in a few weeks time I was heading a couple hours south to Vancouver. I arrived ready to work and met her over at the house. I had not been there since we rented it and I knew it would be hard. Our renter was good, he paid his rent on time, kept the inside of the place up and we really had no complaints. But we both knew it would need some TLC to get it ready to put on the market. 

She met me at the door, “I don’t think he has mowed the back yard since he has been here,” she cried. “Mom and Dad would be so upset.”  We both stood in the back yard remembering how perfect it all use to look. We talked about the big garden they always had and Mom's gigantic rosemary plant, which stood all dried up and dead now. 

“I say we leave this for the guys,” I told her. Our husbands would both be available to help in a couple of days. She agreed and we got to work on the inside. 

When we got back to her house that evening we were both physically and emotionally drained.  We had talked about Mom and Dad all day long and all I wanted now was a hot shower.  I walked into her guest room and saw my camera and thought to myself that the last thing I wanted to do was head someplace to take a photo. I was midway into my first 365 project and while I like to use my big girl camera for my daily shot, I had used shots from my phone and I thought today will be one of those days. I jumped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away some of my sadness and when I was done I stepped out to this. . . 

I wrapped the towel around me and scooted into the guest room grabbed my camera and brought it back into the bathroom and clicked. For me it was a pivotal moment in my photography journey. To this day it is still one of my favorite captures. I have discovered that this is my passion; capturing those simple everyday moments. And while I love to take photos of those I love and places I see, it is these simple, tiny moments which speak to my heart so. It is what I am after every day.

Summer time is the perfect time to notice those moments. The light is good, days are longer, and the kids are home. I encourage you to step back and watch the magic unfold around you and click away. Look for moments and things you might not have ever thought to capture; your kitchen sink full of dinner dishes, that sticky Popsicle stick left on your kitchen table, the piles of dirty laundry from a well-deserved vacation. These are the simple, everyday moments that make up our lives; document them.

I think you will be pleased with your results.