Also visit my Photography by DonnaKay blog @ http://blog.photographybydonnakay.com ... a little more about my life as a photographer...
You know, too often we witness things in this life that are so impossible to understand. Many times we just have to accept that this is not a perfect world, and bad things will happen. Some things we have a choice about or an opportunity to offer some aid or support, and then sometimes it is just completely out of our hands. But I'm not blogging about those types of situations right now. What is pulling at my heart right now is extreme hurt as I watch a mother abandon and break the hearts and spirit of her children... and the realization that this is not the first time she has done this to a child's life, but the second. Some years ago she left her child who was only 3-yrs-old... and she left and told many lies to cover that abandonment. And sadly, it will be seen in the years to come the depth of the damage that was done to that sweet child who is now a teenager. But now there are two more children, and again she has left for her own selfish reasons... something that would seem so foreign to many mothers, including myself.
I was young when I had my first child... 21. I know, there are many girls who have children in their teen years, but this was not a pregnancy that caught me by total surprise. Yet especially by today's standards, 21 is very young. That never occurred to me at the time. I did grow up some with my children in those early years - I had three children, and was only 24 when I had my 3rd. I look back and would not change a moment of any of it! What I don't look back and have is regret, though, for ever wanting to abandon my children -- and certainly never following through with such a want. Of course there were times I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.... and there were times that I wondered if I would ever have a moment of quiet. And any mother knows there are those days when you just want to escape for a moment - to remember what it's like for a day to be something about yourself! But a Mother's love should be like no other love on this earth. There is no room for selfishness or self-centeredness. To look into the eyes of that child who adores you above anything in the world and trusts you implicitly makes it impossible for me to imagine how anyone could bring hurt into their life. The cowards way is to blame it on hurts that were brought on our own life. I am not a stranger to being hurt, but those hurts made me stronger and more determined that I would do whatever I could to shield my own children from having to suffer such things.
My heart aches on this day... the heaviness that I feel deep in my heart for these children makes it impossible to stop my tears. And I pray that those who are taking care of them will remind them every day that they are loved, and they are so special and that God has such a special plan for their lives. And as they grow up that they will be reminded often that experiencing such hurt should teach them to be stronger and better than to ever hurt someone in such a way.
It's sad that we have to apply for permits to build onto our homes or even to fish; we have to have a license to drive; we have to meet criteria to be accepted into colleges or even some groups... but anyone can become a parent whether they are capable and deserving -- or not.
The pictures included in this blog are some of the sweet Mommy's I've had the honor of capturing moments of along their journey....
Small print: **this is not intended to neglect the fact that fathers are equally as important as mothers -- or the fact that many fathers have or will abandon their children or their responsibility as a father. Also, sadly, I realize that there are many very wonderful and deserving people who would be AWESOME parents, yet who cannot have children - and that breaks my heart. This is simply a blog about a certain situation that has my heart in a bind.
