--- description: World-famous baby photographer Anne Geddes offers a Mother's Day message and a gallery of new images from her most recent book. title: World's Most Famous Baby Photographer on the Power of Motherhood image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # World's Most Famous Baby Photographer on the Power of Motherhood by [Anne Geddes](/author/anne-geddes/) ## Anne Geddes Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 11, 2014 9:30 AM CUT by [Anne Geddes](/author/anne-geddes/) ## Anne Geddes Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 11, 2014 9:30 AM CUT 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. _Anne Geddes’ most recent book is_ [_Little Blessings_](http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Geddes-Little-Blessings/dp/1402298188 "undefined")_._  Sometimes the only blessing you need to count is a heartbeat. Anne Geddes  The largest of blessings are those that are small. Anne Geddes  The moment a child is born, a mother is also born. The woman existed, but the mother, never. The mother is something absolutely new. —Rajneesh Anne Geddes  Sometimes 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 Picoult Anne Geddes  Dear 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 Geddes  A baby is born with a need to be loved, and never outgrows it. —Frank A. Clark Anne Geddes  May 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 Geddes  When I count my blessings, I count you twice. Anne Geddes  Having a place to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing Anne Geddes  Jewish 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 Geddes  Never 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 Sid Anne Geddes  No one can fully imagine a life with children. After they are born, no one can ever imagine a life without them. Anne Geddes  First we had each other, then we had you, now we have everything Anne Geddes  A child is the greatest joy, the ultimate blessing—Emily Laughton Anne Geddes  Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. —W. T. Purkiser Anne Geddes  I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always. As long as you’re living, my baby you’ll be.—Robert Munsch Anne Geddes  Write your troubles in the sand. Carve your blessings in stone. 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