A Memory

By Robert Jong

Description:

I took this photo on a fresh roll of flm while running errands with her one afternoon. When I took this photo, she was vivacious; so full of life and possibilities. Little did I know that she was already battling cancer. She would fnally rest after four years of fghting; Her life and all of its future potential surrendered to God that day. I find myself now navigating the loss of those possibilities. Releasing my mother, our family's foundation, the warmth of home. Releasing the chance for her to see me get married, the warmth of a grandchild in her arms, the healing of old familial wounds. Releasing her continued guidance in the kitchen, in creating spaces of inclusion, in being audacious enough to dream bigger. I desperately try to grasp at memories for a sense of grounding. Some are as brilliantly vivid as the day I lived them while others are fading into noisy shades of grey. In unexpected moments, images like this one will fash across my mind. Along with it a food of memories, hopes, and dreams only to be released back from where it came soon after. Life moves on.