Long Road Ahead
Originally uploaded by Geek2Nurse.

This is one of my favorite photos. We were going to check the mail at Grandpa and Grandma’s house, and the kids were ahead of me. I looked up and saw them walking along with the long empty road stretched out ahead of them. Ryan was holding Risa‘s hand protectively, and he seemed to be encouraging her as they went along.

Suddenly it looked to me like the road of life, and they were bravely setting out, all by themselves, never looking back. They looked so small and vulnerable, and I got a catch in my throat as I watched them, knowing that this was just the beginning — that this feeling, this snapshot in time, represented something I would experience over and over again for many years to come.