Nothing left unsaid

This is a picture I took at Hannah's senior photo shoot. She chose 3 locations: Trevett/Finch park (that awesome tree on the corner of Prospect & University), Kaufmann Lake (where this picture was taken) and the Boneyard Creek basin. She invited me and her Aunt Bert to tag along. {I certainly never invited my mother along, nor would I have even considered it!} I guess it means that as much as I embarrass her, I don't. And it was incredibly important to me to have been a part of it. Amy Scott from RAARS PhotographY was the photographer. I'm looking forward to seeing the proofs as she is an awesome photographer. Amy deserves special thanks for allowing me to "interfere" and do a photo chronicle of her photo session.

I was reading the VOICES column in today's News-Gazette, authored by Tim Sinclair. He describes an anticipated reunion between a father and a long-lost daughter that didn't happen because of a 3-hour flight delay. The daughter's flight landed in Champaign 48 minutes after her father passed away. Tim believes that they will eventually reconnect, in heaven. This story serves as a reminder to make sure nothing is left unsaid. So, if I'm yelling "I love you" across a crowded bar, it doesn't just mean that I had too much to drink, it means I want you to know how much I care. Or if I message you on Facebook to tell you I miss you, it means I need you to know that you are important to me (I don't allow douche bags in my life, so you must be pretty special). If I tag along on your senior photo shoot (I was invited after all), it's because you are the most important person in my life, although you may not always believe that.

I'm having a hard time believing that my baby is about to turn 18 and graduate from high school. Actually, her high school graduation is the first milestone I set for myself when I learned I had breast cancer so it will be bittersweet. I'll be happy to see her graduation day but sad to see her all grown up. I just don't think I'm ready to face the "empty nest" syndrome. And speaking of Hannah, she too, has a blog. Feel free to visit her blog at
http://hannah-loseyourself.blogspot.com/.