Katie SwiftPHOTOGRAPHER
Yesterday Savannah started kindergarten. She put on her new owl outfit, backpack blue and was out the door. The school with its expanse of grassy fields and metal playgrounds made her look small. But her expression, the way she ran ahead of me, told me she is bigger than her surroundings. Of course there was...
I think the best thing about old friends is that they know me. I don’t have to explain myself when I say something stupid. They know I have a big mouth and don’t mean half of what comes out of it. I can talk on the phone with them while screaming at my kids at...
Who is the good father? Is he strong and wise and warrior like? Or is he soft, and fun and affectionate? Does he work long hours to provide? Or does he coach little league? Does he throw the football with you or does he teach you how to read? Maybe it’s not really important what...
Our kids are dirty. Like sometimes we forget to take baths for days dirty. Like something smells and it’s David’s head dirty. Or Savannah’s hands. Ew. But it wasn’t always that way. For David’s first birthday we gave him a cake all for himself. We thought he’d dive right in and we could take pictures....
Today I went to Starbucks to waste my daily three dollars on a drink and sanity. A car of three teenage girls tried to cut in front of me but I wasn’t having it. They gave me dirty looks and pulled around behind me. I was praying for one of them to get out and...
Everything I need to know about taking great family pictures I can learn from Jenny. Family is who we hang up in our hallways. The faces we want to see on our way to the kitchen. We collect our time together in rectangles. Find our lost loved ones in frames. Flashed out and faded. Awkward...
I was driving down Stroop the other day when I remembered a time in my life that I thought I had forgotten. I was around 19 years old and I wrestled with depression, an eating disorder and my Nanny had just died. I use to take power walks around the neightborhood to make myself feel...
My mother came over the other day right as I was lying the kids down for their naps. She waited for me on the couch and when I finally sat down beside her, she looked at me in a way she never had before. She told me she was sorry. I don’t remember if she grabbed...
Last night Josh’s grandpa passed away. His name was Frank. His grandkids called him froggy. He was a man obsessed with politics and peace and he wrote a children’s book. He was a father of two boys and a whole lot of girls. He was a kisser of cheeks and he lived right down the...
Parenting is not a religion. It is not a list of rules I can follow and be made righteous. A library of books I can read and understand. A way of life that can make my family more Holy. It’s not about whether we homeschool or let our kids watch tv. The nurturing mothers don’t...
My grandmother passed away. She was my father’s mother. I didn’t know her very well. The truth is, I have a whole family that I don’t know very well. On the way to the funeral my big brother and I talked about our childhood. We talked about how alone we felt, the way we were...
The older I get the longer the road becomes. And can I look back. And the paths that were winding, seem straighter. The view that was clouded, seems clearer. The directions that were daunting, so simple. And it’s like it all makes sense. And yet at the same time, I feel more lost than I ever did....
My son David put it best, He’s the light that never blows out… This Christmas, Let Jesus fill all your dark places.
For me, growing up was a lot like the ocean. I was born and raised in Florida and the salty air still hangs in my memories. The waves were much bigger then. I can still remember… I am small and looking up. I am anticipating that which is greater than me. The foamy water breaks...
There is something empowering about getting rid of toys. It’s like a proclamation. A declaration for my children and for myself. A bold statement to all the advertisements, the billboards and the commercials that never shut-up. We don’t need your stuff! Your stuff does not make us happy. Because the things you promise will bring...
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written. I want you to know that it’s not personal. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you. There is so much that I want to say. I have met someone. Ok well technically I met Him years ago and He’s known me since, like, forever....
Is there anything better than pancakes in the morning? What else can summon us to the table tops? Fill us with joy and wonder? Make us lose our inhibitions? Is there anything better than pancakes in the morning? Maybe…
When I was 12 years old my father showed up at our little house on Watervliet and I can’t remember why. I must’ve said something to upset him though because he looked me straight in the eyes and said, “You know Katie, you ain’t shit. You ain’t nothing but me and your mama put together.”...
Has anyone ever really been convinced by a bumper sticker? Or been changed by a church sign? Can a facebook comment really be that profound? Do I really need to take a stance? Maybe I should just take a seat. Next to you. Relax. Enjoy (turn the phone off). And be convinced by your laughter. Be changed...
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