Let me protect you like I used to

Growing up, my mom was always home to me. She was my guiding compass and rock, but then a few years ago my dad died and everything shifted drastically, quickly and negatively, so I left. I've been running since, but once the pandemic hit, I had to go home. Home for the past couple years became something difficult to define, feel and find. I went with reservations and nerves. I went with a stubbornness to hold onto past anger and hurt that lived there. But I still went, because I knew I needed to. And about a week into it, the reality of the situation set in, that this is where I would be for the foreseeable future, so I decided to shift. I took this time in quarantine to really re-meet and get to know my mom, not solely as a mom, but as a person and friend. I let her also meet me. We used photography, walking and talking throughout those months as a way to process, heal and better understand each other together.