October: Capture Your Grief

I've been drawn to sunrises and sunsets for many years now.  When you've faced a life or death experience, in addition to the deepest of pains - child loss - it, without a doubt, changes the way the you look at the world.

I try to treasure every moment, to make the most of each day, and to celebrate the joys it brings.  I do this because I know ours day are precious and never promised.

So, it is nothing unusual for me to comment about a sunrise, to stop my car in the middle of the road to capture a photo, or to even call someone and have them look outside if they're not with me.

This morning, the sky was beautiful.  

We were headed out a little earlier than normal, as I'm traveling this week for training.  With the kids in the car, I leaned on them for photo assistance.  Noah, still half asleep, grabs my phone and starts clicking.

Not pulling over, windshield between, and the limitations of a camera phone, I didn't expect to get great quality, but wanted to catch it even still.  But, dropping them to school, commuting, and then jumping straight into an all-day training, I didn't have a chance to look at what he caught.

As I'm relaxing and catching up on my news feed tonight, I notice a photo project online that catches my eye. From a sister-in-grief, she shares of a project for all of October to capture our loss and what heals our heart through photos.

November is right around the corner, a difficult season for us.  I love photography.  Sharing our grief to help others.  ....Seems like a perfect match.

Day 1:  Capture today's sunrise

Wow.  I remember that I did just that today.  But I hadn't even looked at them yet.

Pulling up the photos, I'm covered in goosebumps when I see the symbol reflected onto the windshield.  Call it angel wings....perhaps a butterfly, but there's obviously something there, under the sunrise.

It wasn't something I could see with my own eyes, only the photo captured it.

I wasn't in my typical vehicle, but Tim's.

It wasn't our normal time of time to catch the sunrise.

And I didn't even know about the project until after the sun set.

I'll take that as a big sign I'm meant to participate in this challenge.

Want to join me?  Comment below and I'll follow you.

Follow me on Instagram @ joyfulchallenge for each day's capture.

Joyfully expectant for where October takes me....