My "Grandpap" Bell passed away Friday morning. I'm thankful I could kiss his warm cheeks & visit with him during his final days. Gathering with my family to celebrate his life was a special, sacred event. It was filled with joy, honor, and plenty of humor. I am still processing what I want to tuck away in my heart from what I have witnessed throughout my life & this week relating to him.
We are home now and I've learned to make friends with the typical overcast October sky. Even the fickle wind that demands we surrender our golden leaves is welcome at my door. Grey clouds, gentle raindrops, and blustery Ohio mornings are ingredients in comfort food weather I crave in order to pause and refresh. Renew. I've found it's easier to take on the world once I cave to the truth that it can't be done without a proper night's sleep.
Earlier in my life, I neglected the importance of letting myself breathe after a long week, a big project, or being around a lot of people. My mind isn't always convinced that I should embrace this pattern of listening to the limitations of my body, but I am working on persuading it that I should. I even read a highly informative book on this topic, because I'm a big girl now.
Today was about not thinking too much about the past and certainly not forecasting too far into the future.
We ordered Scholastic books (online, because I missed the teacher's deadline). We, I mean, I, cleaned. Kevin did homework & told me funny stories about his day. We talked about African Elephants (Kev's new obsession), and ate canned soup for dinner. I would be lying if I didn't admit that touching these familiar pages brings back one of my favorite past times from elementary school.
They finished their evening with a rainy walk to visit their Grandparents' house, our neighbors. Kevin was gone before I could blink, let alone grab a camera.
Damian wasn't far behind his big brother.
I hope the boys remember this season as fondly as I always will.
-Andrea
Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. The images from this post were taken with my Nikon D800 and edited in Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.