The 'introduce yourself' theme continues at Self Portrait Challenge.
This week, I'm introducing the rest of the people who live in my house.
Christy: Wife and Mother. Words fail. I can't begin to express how lucky I am to have this woman in my life. She is beautiful and smart and so much more. She is so many intangibles that are hard to define. As you might be able to tell from the photo below, she has a servant's heart. She sets an example in selflessness from which I constantly learn. She labors tirelessly for our entire family. She is the love of my life.
Furthermore, she tolerates me standing on the dining room table (
while she's preparing dinner and trying to set said table) strapping a camera to the ceiling fan for yet
another photography project.
Hannah: Daughter (7 years old). I am so proud of Hannah. She is so bright. She does so well at school both in her school work and in her behavior. She has really taken off with her reading this year. It has been so much fun to watch. Last year, at a Parent/Teacher conference, her Kindergarten teacher asked us what we felt her strengths were. I know we listed several, but I got to thinking later that I think one of her greatest strengths is that she acts her age. Not too old. Not too young. Just right. She is completely true to herself and, so far, at least, has not allowed too many outside influences to dictate to her what she should and should not do, say, wear, etc.
Harrison: Son (2 years old). Harrison is all boy. He loves trucks and cars and balls and diggers and airplanes and trains and motorcycles. He has a great sense of humor and he constantly has us all laughing. He tends to clam up around people with whom he is less familiar, though, and goes completely to the other extreme. He can be so serious at times that it's funny.
I'm a little disappointed with the photo. By the time I got the camera strapped to the ceiling so that I wasn't nervous about it falling, I just had to estimate framing and I cut Christy's side off almost entirely. You may notice that Hannah is actually holding the remote in this shot, so partial credit goes to her for getting a shot with more than just Christy's hands.
We eat dinner together as a family. Every night. It's important. Christy and I both give much credit to our Parents for their excellent example in this. I know that some of my best memories of growing up in my Parents' house come from our dining room table. Even then, it would have been easy to give this up for TV trays in another room, or scrounging something late at night. "Every man for himself." My sister and I were involved in some activities after school, but supper at home was always a top priority whether we only were able to sit down for a few minutes before rushing off, or if we didn't accomplish much else of an evening because we sat around the table laughing until it was time to go to bed.
I only hope that we can do as well in passing along these values to our children. It is certainly our intention.
