It was taken last May in at my parent’s house in Michigan. My beloved Tante Maria had suddenly become very sick. She was much older than my mother (17 years) and had always been the family matriarch. She seemed invincible, and so while she was older, it was utterly startling to think she might be leaving us. I remember returning from a very sobering hospital visit and going outside to lay in the grass by the lake. I had grabbed my camera to capture a shot of the sun dappled water, but was suddenly overwhelmed. I just laid there in the grass thinking about my aunt and what a special woman she was.

I had been poised to cry….but somehow I was suddenly filled with a tremendous amount of joy. I felt her love of life and reflected on what an amazing inspiration she has always been to me. It was strange how I just felt like smiling. For some reason I lifted the camera up over my head and snapped a photo. It’s odd that I look so serene under the circumstances, but I almost feel like she was with me at that moment…..telling me everything would be ok.

Alix xoxox