The Strawberries are Ready!

A lot of great things happened as a result of my family and I moving to Arizona.  But one of the best things I gained was my appreciation for all my family in Georgia.  There were so many Arizona-nights when I would have given anything in the world to simply be sitting in my mom’s kitchen… just enjoying small talk with her as she whipped-up an incredible meal with such ease and perfection.  Even to this day, when I visit Arizona to photograph my clients, I feel my throat start to tighten-up and eyes become watery when I walk past a certain gate at the airport.  That gate represents SO much happiness when I think about her approaching it when she came to visit us.  The gate also reminds me of the moment we had to hug and  say goodbye.  I thought I’d be finished crying by the time I got home from the airport.  Unfortunately, walking back into ‘the-home-that-never-felt-like-home’ just made it worse.

Now that we’re back in Georgia, every May I open an email from my mom telling me the strawberries are ready.  We load-up the kids and head to a local strawberry patch just a few minutes away.

Arizona taught me to never take the people you love for granted.  It also taught me to enjoy life’s little moments.  Picking strawberries with my mom each year is just one of our traditions that keeps both of those lessons fresh on my mind!