Foreward

This blog is very different from any of the others I've composed before. It's experimental, with poetry, stream of consciousness, and journalistic prose all pastiched into one. It's what I need now. And throughout it all, I've used film photographs made over the last year, a year spent shooting film almost exclusively. A year of incredible memories. Not all these photos are technically perfect, but they are my kids as I saw them and documented them. It's as much about me as it is about them or the photography.

We were at lunch with my grandmother. We got dim sum at our favorite Chinese restaurant in town, Tropical Chinese (try them and thank me later). Wes held it together well enough during lunch. Pork bao buns were a hit.

I don't know how much longer I've got with my grandmother. I want to spend as much time with her as possible. I want them to as well. Link will be devastated. Wes? More than likely he will not have very many memories of her. But we will all have these photos. Photos of her laughing so hard at Wes punching Link in the balls as he tries to make a mad dash for freedom.

In the days preceding a hurricane's landfall everything changes. People change, traffic changes, even the air changes. Link was young when the last hurricane had hit. But he was old enough to really feel the vibe shift with Hurricane Milton. Miami walked away largely unscathed. But the possibility of losing power, lightning strikes, and gale-force winds made Link nervous. I had gotten my Leicaflex SL just a few weeks before this. I loaded up some UltraMax. I missed focus, but the memories of this are hazy, so...

The kids' school puts on an annual Christmas show. It's a tradition that has been going on for over two decades, as I partook when I was a student at this school. Wes finished his performance and my father-in-law, Mike, came over and the two embraced. It was a sweet moment.

Those sorts of moments happen often, as often as the moments of frustration. Wes was recently diagnosed with Autism. He sees the world differently. Beautifully. Perfectly. Life won't be easy for him, but it isn't easy for anyone, is it?

They say you should let your kids make mistakes. They'll learn from them. I agree, with a caveat.

I won't let them make the mistake of falling in with the wrong crowd. Link's friends are amazing. The perfect amalgamation of boys and girls that make up his social circle. Wild child, nerd, athlete, gamer...there's a little bit of it all in these kids. They make him better. And they love his brother, Wes, almost as much as he loves him.

They say you should let you kids make mistakes. But they'll learn so much from their friends, more than from their mistakes, I wager.

There are qualities we are born with and qualities we gain. Those we aren't born with, we work hard to gain. Regardless of having them at birth or gaining them, we all work hard to keep these qualities. A love of learning is something Link may have been born with, but I try hard to make sure he doesn't lose it. He's more science-centered than I am - I was definitely born into the humanities - but I encourage all his learning. Or at least try to. I have to remind myself, sometimes, that learning looks different for everyone. Whatever it looks like, it should be fun.

He came to the open house for the school at which I work. It isn't necessary. He's been there countless times. But he wanted to feel like a student at my school. He'll walk those halls soon enough. I want time to stand still and speed ahead all at once. Maybe he'll find a way to science that into existence one day. But not today, Link. Today, just enjoy being a kid.

We learn from our kids. Or, at least, we should. I've learned more about courage and strength in the last two and a half years than in the first 35 combined. Wes forges ahead, like a force of nature. I have always been so cautious and careful. It has worked for me - I won't lie and say life hasn't worked out for me - but from Wes I've learned to be more assertive and take what I want. Well, within reason. But I'm still learning. I want to be like him when I grow up.

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