I've always loved this photograph of my Mom and me. We lived in Germany at the time and we were walking back home from one our little hikes around the countryside. I remember how she would hold my hand tightly so I wouldn't veer off the trail into the brush. My Mother would guide me and show me the way. I always felt a certain peace when she held my hand.
On our walks, Mom would usually have binoculars around her neck. She loved to birdwatch. She would give me her binoculars, point at a small flower, and I would make the flower bigger through the lens. It felt like magic to me then. She taught me to do that; to notice little things in nature and expand them through my lens. I still do that today. "Never walk so fast that you don't notice," she would say. She gave the best advice.
I had the privilege of being with her as she passed on. I held her hand tightly like she always did mine. It was my turn to walk her home. I hope she felt that certain peace I always felt with her.
Sometimes, I can still feel her hand in mine and it reminds me to slow down and just notice.