Mother and baby

The light itself seems devotional, but the mother is illuminated by presence, and her body has become shelter, nourishment, rhythm, and home. I observed the weight of the child in her arms, and the stillness between them, as the child continues her journey into earthly life.

The peony feels like the perfect companion to this image because it carries so much of the same language: softness, unfolding, nourishment, transience, and beauty held briefly in the light.