Protect. Nurture. Love. These three words have served as my mantra and inspiration throughout my 30-year career as a photographer, allowing me the opportunity to travel the world, meeting and working with families from many walks of life. And throughout this journey, what I’ve learned about the power of motherhood is that the one emotion uniting all of us as women and mothers, is the instinctive drive to ensure that our children are safe, loved and treated with respect. In allowing them to grow and flourish, we protect the future of our world.
This Mother’s Day, let’s take time to join with the devastated mothers of the over 270 girls who have “disappeared” in Nigeria…at the hands of brutal thugs and fanatics who are obviously threatened by females; especially when they are simply demanding their absolute right to an education. I also commend the families of these girls, who value their daughters and bravely support their dreams. Let’s find these girls and bring them home.
To quote Chilean poet Pablo Neruda… “You can cut all the flowers, but you can’t stop the spring”… and this is what the world of motherhood and newborn babies means to me — our eternal chance at new beginnings.
Sometimes the only blessing you need to count is a heartbeat.Anne GeddesThe largest of blessings are those that are small.Anne GeddesThe moment a child is born, a mother is also born. The woman existed, but the mother, never. The mother is something absolutely new.
—RajneeshAnne GeddesSometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood—finding a piece of yourself separate and apart...—Jodi PicoultAnne GeddesDear Child,
You are the poem
I dreamed of writing, The masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for in my ever-hopeful quest For life fulfilled...
You are my child.
Now with all things I am blessed.Anne GeddesA baby is born with a need to be loved, and never outgrows it.
—Frank A. ClarkAnne GeddesMay your day be filled with blessings, like the sun that lights the sky, and may you have the courage to spread your wings and f ly.Anne GeddesWhen I count
my blessings,
I count you twice.Anne GeddesHaving a place to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessingAnne GeddesJewish Blessing
In every birth, blessed is the wonder.
In every creation, blessed is the new beginning.
In every child, blessed is life.
In every hope, blessed is the potential.
In every transition, blessed is the beginning.
In every existence, blessed are the possibilities.
In every love, blessed are the tears.
In every life, blessed is the love.
There are three names by which a person is called:
One which her father and mother call her,
And one which people call her,
And one which she earns for herself.
The best one of these is the one that she earns for herself.Anne GeddesNever lose sight of who you are; always remember the reason you are smiling today. Count your blessings for being given the gift of a smile.
—Jasmina SidAnne GeddesNo one can fully imagine a life with children. After they are born, no one can ever imagine a life without them.Anne GeddesFirst we had each other, then we had you,
now we have everythingAnne GeddesA child is the greatest joy, the ultimate blessing—Emily LaughtonAnne GeddesNot what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure
of our thanksgiving.
—W. T. PurkiserAnne GeddesI’ll love you forever.
I’ll like you for always. As long as you’re living, my baby you’ll be.—Robert MunschAnne GeddesWrite your troubles in the sand. Carve your blessings in stone.Anne Geddes
