Elin Stebbins Waldal

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Pictures of You, Pictures of Me

Mar 13, 2015 By elinwaldal 22 Comments

The Kodak paper envelope with its signature yellow color is as familiar as my reflection once was. And I feel my heart sink just a little when I realize there is not one picture of me in the 36 images from the developed role. It was 17 years ago. Other than I was the one […]

Filed Under: Living, Memories Tagged With: Aging, Motherhood, pictures, Time

Family Portrait

Nov 4, 2013 By Elin Stebbins Waldal 12 Comments

Yesterday, while we had the entire Backyard Playgroup together again, we had our family portrait taken. The daylight hours, having been pushed back to standard, bent long rays of gold behind us—the air was crisp, the afternoon, beautiful. While the photographer, a friend, worked her magic with the lens, we propped ourselves up against centuries […]

Filed Under: NaBloPoMo13, On being a parent Tagged With: childhood, Love, Motherhood

Backseat of a forward moving car

Jul 2, 2013 By Elin Stebbins Waldal 8 Comments

  Zipping past me in a blur of color is Rancho Santa Fe, if one were to slow the car–and time–you would see beauty abounds. There by the roadside a white and lavender carpet of color stretches up to greet the sky, pink bougainvillaea wrapped trellises sit behind massive iron gates, horses too lazy to […]

Filed Under: On being a parent Tagged With: coming of age, driving, Motherhood, Teenagers

Childhood is Fleeting, Motherhood is Forever

Apr 21, 2013 By Elin Stebbins Waldal Leave a Comment

I had no inkling, the first time I learned I was pregnant, of the combination of awe and regret that motherhood would stitch into my soul. But my firstborn, now 26, has long eclipsed the age I was when I gave birth to him, and I find myself marveling over the realization that I have been a […]

Filed Under: Empty Nest, Life Lessons, On being a parent Tagged With: Love, Motherhood, Raising Children, Regret

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