Sharing the Caring

For me taking pictures of people was something I had to ease into. People reveal what is inside through their eyes, and their life is written in the creases of their face.

This weekend I took my girls to do something and experience somewhere that I had usually done and gone to alone. They had seen the pictures and heard the stories of the people I had met and I thought it was about time I shared my passion for caring with them.

Sometimes seeing things through your children's eyes can help you see things clearly. The innocence, curiosity, and ability to express without judgement that comes from a young heart is priceless.

We went to Little Five points, an area of art that attracts those with a flair for the dramatic and some with lost dreams.
It was obvious to me that my two girls had differing opinions about this adventure, one with eyes wide open and the other had arms crossed with uncertainty.

Right away you could see that the area was filled with variety so I knew it was going to be a good time. We parked and walked to a fresh fruit slushy store where they make refreshing drinks and have shots of wheat grass. There were questions from Marissa about the choices and a raised eye brow about the drinking of grass.
The girls are used to me talking to strangers but had not seen me engage them with questions and shoot their pictures with my curious lens. Lauren was soaking up the energy like a sponge and I was thrilled when she began to ask her own questions to those she felt a pull to. Marissa I could tell was still apprehensive about this lesson, she wanted to hold my hand as we strolled down the street and I could feel her beating heart in that tight grasp.

As we approached the part of the block where the lost and the broken rested and the needy begged for dimes, I began to tell the girls about the evenings I had spent there. From a distance there was a booming voice that shouted "Michelle!" .. I looked to the crowd and saw Tank, a familiar face and smile. There he was with his bright smile and extended arms welcoming us to his space on the street.
He engaged the girls in conversation and showed them the contents of his back pack, his whole world folded and organized.
With all the other people milling around us it was hard for me to concentrate on my friend and his lesson to the girls about the effects of crack as an elderly woman off in the distance yelled violently to a helpless friend.

Tank was not the only familiar face we saw. Evangelist, the born again man with the plastic 5 gallon bucket drum, was also there.
Both these men recognized me and remembered our conversations about life and they shared in kind words with my girls their stories of struggle and hope. I could see both of the girls taking in everything from what was said and maybe start to understand why their mother was sharing.

We found a spot for dinner and some cold drinks then talked about what we had seen on the street around us. As with most dinners out we walked away with leftovers and there was no discussion about who to give them to. We crossed the street to look for Tank and his dog Karma, but had a few others we had spoken too that day asked for our Styrofoam container. Tank was thankful for what we had saved and gave a nod to those he promised to share with. The girls and I said our goodbyes with assurances of another meeting again in the future.

It was not until we started the drive home safe in our car that I could feel the impact on the afternoon for the girls. Marissa sat in the back seat with a contemplative look and then said " I had a good time, thank you for taking me. Everyone was nice and it was cool." A ringing endorsement coming from her made this mother smile. Lauren had a great time and it was evident from the chatter on the way home. But as a mother when you child says " Mom, your amazing and I want to be just like you." something inside pours out through your eyes.. tears of thankfulness and joy.

Thankful for our life and our chance to live with choices and love. Joy for being able to share my passion for caring for others through listening when no one seems to hear them.

The bottom line is ... I have learned more from sharing with them, and I hope they learned more about the importance of sharing the caring.