Thursday, February 10, 2011

Growing Love


I took this picture Tuesday night because it made me think that we're purposefully growing love.  We're being pushed away, stomped on, kicked, bit, spit on, peed on, pooped on, challenged in ways we did not think possible, and we still keep on planting our love, feeding it, regulating the temperature for optimum growth, nurturing it, singing to it, encouraging it, soothing it, keeping it safe and protected....we keep on growing the love.  No matter the obstacles in our path.  Sometimes we have to start over with better soil, light, conditions....but we keep on keeping on.  We do what needs to be done. 

The Love Farmers.  That's us.

The importance of growing the love in me is not lost.  This is something that I have to do to be able to grow J's love.  Feeding my soul.....photography is an important way to feed myself beauty and love.  If I'm keeping myself in the optimum growing environment beautiful things happen between my child and I.  As mother's it's a hard job to do.  There is always something else that needs to be done and we are forgotten.  We can't forget ourselves.

What are some things that you do to grow your love?

9 comments:

matryoshka said...

Lisa, you rock! I always wanted to be a farmer....I didn't know I already was one. Love Farmers....LOVE IT!

:)De said...

Sometimes I get so busy parenting that I forget to enjoy them. So I will turn everything off and have some nice mood lighting and just lay on the floor with them and sing silly love songs to them. I sing about the things that I love about them, I tell them silly stories from my childhood and I always use the ages that they are. They are amazed that I used to be 6, 9 or 12 (especially 12 LOL!) years old. I enjoy them right in the moment and try not to redirect or guide and I remember the joy of being their mommy.

Tubaville said...

SING! And dance all goofy. I also toot on my kids. They feign horror and laugh for days afterwards. I tell them stories about my sister and I when I was their age, too. And we always, always, cook together.

Lee said...

I adore that picture. And I love not only the symbolism of love,but the fact that the love leaf is just that eensty bit away from the stem. KInd of reaching out but not quite touching--which is a lot like a couple of my kids. Reaching out, pulling back, doing it all again. But what do I do to grow love? I think I just never really grew up. I still truly enjoy Candy Land with the littles and Friday nite movies with my teen. Singing together in the car, and feeling them lean against me when I read.

The Accidental Mommy said...

I really like what De said, I do some similar things. I like to unexpectedly offer to listen to a kid read, or play a favorite game too.

Annie said...

I love physical contact with them; Zhenya is still a snuggler. (Thank you, Lord!) When I wake him up in the morning, I crawl in beside him and give him an "arm massage" (ever notice how good it feels to run your nails down your arm in the morning?) And at night he usually crawls in beside me for a snuggle. I love to give Sergei and Ilya head rubs. It is harder with Nastya; but if we watch TV, especially something scary which gives her an excuse, she'll snuggle close.

I wish I had time to embroider or do other fabric crafts. It really frustrates me that there aren't more hours in the day .... or maybe just that money is so hard to come by I have to have three jobs!

Lauri said...

love this post

Lauri said...

I love this post

Deborah said...

Ok, I feel silly, but... what is this a picture of? Is it a flower?