It was report card day in our house yesterday!

Report cards used to make me so anxious as a kid.  But not these guys!  The two of them came leaping off the school bus with their brown envelopes in hand.  The four of us curled up on our couch together with wild anticipation while the kiddos ached to find out if they were moving ahead next year.

It wasn’t the easiest year for our little ones.  Our son had a tough transition into grade one and our daughter endured two broken arms.  It was a year marked by endurance and obstacles.  But they did it…and after a much needed summer break, they will move on up – one grade older…and all the wiser!

I never really gave this progression through life much thought until I became a parent myself.  I never realized how hard it is to let your children go out into the world and patiently stand alongside as they try to navigate their place within it.  And as a result, it has created a deep appreciation, compassion and relief that comes with watching them land on their feet!  For both myself and all of my fellow parents!

The first time I photographed Angelica, she was starting grade nine.  She spent a semester with me learning about photography and exploring creativity.  In the early evenings of our long Canadian winters, we would get together to play around with our cameras, do some shooting, and talk about the years ahead.  In that time, I got a tiny glimpse into the vision she had for her life and the radiant colours it would soon be filled with.

She has since continued into other creative ventures…surrounded herself with the most beautiful circle of friends…and very soon, she will be off to England for her first year of college.

The mother in me beams brightly.

I believe there is no bigger honour than when a parent asks you to become a part of their own child’s life and it was such an immense privilege for me to bookend this beautiful girl’s high school story on the night of her graduation.

Watch our, World…she’s coming for you!