The Pain We Carry
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." If you've heard this before, then you probably know it's from the former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson. While the original reference may have been about boxing in the ring, it also holds true for blows we take in life. Especially the unexpected ones. Last year, I was hit with one of those blows when my mom called me early one Friday morning to say my dad was being rushed to the hospital. 48 hours later, he was gone. It is now nearly 10 months since he passed and that weekend I spent with my mom back and forth to the hospital still feels surreal. Like it didn't happen, but yet I was there and it did. I recall being in the room with my mom when my dad passed, crying tears of sadness but also relief that he would no longer be in pain, and then as I often do, looking up at the sky. As some of you know, I enjoy landscape photography and often watch the sky for great light. That day, I remember the most glor...