[talk: She Called Me A ...]

Ok.  Relax.  Yeah, yeah - the title's a bit much *grin*.  But hey - I had wanted to be a journalism major many moons ago ... sometimes the writer in me gets a bit cheeky *grin*.

Where have I been?  Oh, you know ... twiddling my thumbs - wasting time - watching paint dry. HA.  No, of course not.  Life has been full - and it's now 11:22pm on Monday night and if I don't get THIS in today I'll be really mad at myself.  I love to blog ... and so here I am.  Blogging.

So much to write about - but tonight I will just type that I had a lovely day with my mom.  Yes - I was unable to spend actual "mother's day" with her on Sunday, so today I took her to White Rock for lunch, for a walk along the ocean and to a kitchen specialty shop for a brand-new teapot.  It was a lovely few hours full of laughing and talking ... catching up, asking questions,  watching a stunning view while munching on exquisite food.  And after lunch, we walked arm in arm along the pier and I even asked someone to snap a photo with my IPhone.

It's funny what moments we remember, isn't it?  No rhyme or reason ... but this lady painstakingly took a few photos with my phone, and as she handed it back, my mom said - "oh, my daughter's a photographer" ... and honestly?  It was profound.

Why?

My mom is an RCM examiner.  Basically, she's pretty darn high up in one of the most known Canadian music schools.  I had been following in her footsteps, with three music degrees under my belt, and my own thriving music studio.  Then, we lost Shalom ... everything went spinning - and I found myself  in a place of recreating who I was, in the photography field.

It's only been recently that I've felt confident and non-apologetic for saying "I'm a photographer".  I was always like, "... I used to be a piano teacher.  I'm qualified.  I'm educated ... I was doing really well *yadayadayada* ... and now I just do my bit - some people like my photos, some don't.  It's ok - you don't have to ... I still really like it ... " with my head hung down.  I've felt like people just roll their eyes with my career change - I mean, can't anyone be a "photographer"?

But today, my mom told a stranger that I WAS a photographer.  Not that I "used to be a piano teacher", or my qualifications or whatever.  She seemed proud of it ... and for some reason, her words made me feel like I was legit.

Isn't it funny what different people can say, how they can say it - that makes all the difference?  Words are so much more than power.   They are life ... or death.  I've been learning a lot about words ... watching my own kids with what they say and what's said to them, watching people stand tall - or be struck down - by the words others say to them ...

Hmm.  It's a big thing ... and I'm much to tired *yawn* to go much more into this.  But.  Basically all I wanted to say was that 1) I had a great day.  2) I'm so glad I got to spend time with my mom  and 3) validating words bring life.

Ok.

Not the most amazingly written post ... my English prof would be eye-rolling at the "all-over-the-place-ness" of my thoughts.  But I don't care.  I'm not a writer.

I'm a photographer.

Boom.