{Heart Pockets.}

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

Theme song #1: “Secret Heart” by Feist

Theme song #1: “Two Hearts Are Better Than One” by Katie Herzig

I imagine our hearts with millions of itty bitty pockets full of soft whispers, secrets, dreams, loves, feel goods, affirmations, lessons learned, and inspiration… Every time something touches your heart it gets tucked away.  It is retrievable. Each time I feel so inclined, I can reach in and grab onto the feeling and rub it on my cheek like a silky blanket.

I was so glad when my beautiful inside and out friend, Marcel Walker, with more heart pockets than I can imagine, came to me awhile back and asked me to do a guest post on her blog.  This was my first time being asked to do this, and on top of that, I hadn’t even entered the scary blog world myself.     {Still riding with my training wheels on here people!} She asked me to share my thoughts on the beauty of life.  I cracked my rusty knuckles and whipped some quick thoughts out for a quickie deadline.

It went a little something like this…

“the images in our photography help slap us in the face or give us a little tap on the shoulder to awaken all sorts of wonderful feelings and emotions, good or bad tucked in the pockets of our hearts.  I honestly can say I embrace every aspect of life… the smile and the tears, the sun and the rain, including all of the  funky and whackadoodle times I’ve endured-it’s all good.  I love it all and wouldn’t change a moment of it.  In my awkward years, I thought I was so clever for saying, “I have a love for life and life loves me”, but truly that’s how I’ve always felt.  As cheesy as it sounds, I love life and it is so beautiful!

It became even more beautiful “A.K.” (after kiddos).

When I look at this photo it makes my heart get all “meltedy” as the girls say. There is nothing more beautiful and perfect when I look at my husband being daddy to my 3 little ladies.  {SIGH}  Can you say Daddy’s girls?  ALL three of them.  There’s nothing like that sparkle in their eye when he walks through the door, watching him at a tea party with his girls as they proudly place a princess crown atop his head and he doesn’t even flinch, or tickle fights until their stomachs hurt, baking cookies together and letting them eat the dough right from the bowl, or the kisses on their boo-boos. The quiet, soft, and tender moments of holding his girls in his arms, reading them a book, tucking them in, or all tuckered out falling asleep on his shoulder while sitting on a white sanded beach, are priceless.  The bond of a daddy and his daughter is beautiful.  If my heart could shed tears, it would. I plan on stuffing my pockets full of these “meltedy” moments through photography by stopping and inhaling those simple, yet vital times.  Life is perfect in all its imperfections.  It’s the simple things in life that make it so beautiful.   It’s the light and dark and contrasts that make life beautiful.  It’s a daddy holding his sleeping beauty in his arms.”

My heart pockets were born and my sleepy writer’s brain had a cold glass of water thrown on it.  I thank her for that little splash I needed to awaken my desire to start sifting through my heart pockets and rediscover things I’ve forgotten, like how much I love to write!  I love every new pocket that has been sewn and filled since I have picked up my camera and kicked up my typing fingers a bit.

The thing about the beauty of life, is that it is full of moments that would be seemingly unbeautiful, but that’s what makes life so beautiful, right… are you with me?!?  haha The unexpected is beautiful.  Well, same goes for photography.  I love finding the beauty in the seemingly unbeautiful and ordinary everyday things.

{Like messy faces.}

{Or old objects.} 

{Or seeing a tree differently than every other person that passes by it each day.}

My camera has made me stop and really SEE more.  write more.  engage more. play more.  And it has most definitely helped me tuck way more in those pockets than if I were empty-handed.  Like on Easter when I was feeling ill.  It was my camera that got me off the couch and filled my memory card and heart pockets with hunts and giggles and golden hair.  Ahhhhhh  Life lesson 101.  Take it all in. The good, the beautiful and the seemingly bad and ugly… it’s not.

What are you filling your heart pockets with?

My heart to yours,

Dana

xo

p.s.  Please go fill your pockets with more goodness over at Marcel’s new and improved and amazing blog here.  She is overflowing with wisdom, tips & tricks, humor, eye candy and friendship!