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Showing posts from 2011

Jesse

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This is one of my favorite portraits of my son Jesse, and believe it or not it was taken with a Kodak point and shoot. I used to carry that Kodak Z740 everywhere and made quite a pest of myself on my college campus, before upgrading to a Nikon D50. Then I continued my photographical reign of terror with a zoom lens and a safer distance. = ) Today is my son’s birthday. He turned 24. He lives with his fiancé and his son in my home town where I am going to be moving in the next month or two and I am looking forward to more family time with them. I remember the day he was born so well. My ex husband and his mom went into the labor room with me and I was experiencing more pain than I have in my entire life. Despite that, like they say, you forget all about it when you are holding that little baby in your arms. Childbirth is a great testimony to the power of love and joy that washes over your traumatized worn out body, and fills it full of peace and hope for the little future you hold in y

Two Windows

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Two Windows Through two windows of this little pink house shined a light that once only burned for him But past the pain, past the tears past regret of wasted years Her light begins to shine once again Only this time it’s for herself

United We Fall and Then We Get Back Up

"If my glass looks half empty, it is only because I've been blessed with the opportunity to share half of its contents with someone who was thirsty." Maria R. Palacios  When I was first married to my husband we moved to an apartment complex where I met two women who changed my life completely. We were all three survivors of abuse of various degrees. One of us was molested and controlled; one of us was brutally raped at gunpoint, and the other abused, neglected, and was forced to live with the man, whom she is certain killed her mother. Not only were the three of us survivors but we all used creative writing to cope and to work through the healing process. Our real healing didn’t really begin individually until we joined together and became friends. Together we supported each other; we drank coffee, buried ourselves in self-help and psychology books and shared our poetic journals. I gained strength that I never knew I could have again and while my experiences will always b

Jesi’s Ghost

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Jesi's Ghost - By Etha Walters Winston Churchill said “When you are going through hell, keep going.” He said this with the certainty that if we did keep going, we would come out on the other side. However, that doesn’t mean that we will come out unscathed or not have to shed a few layers, to leave part of ourselves behind. Life is a series of deaths and rebirths. It’s no wonder that religious foundations are built on concepts like reincarnation and being “born again.” No one that I know understands this better than my friend Jesi pictured above. Inspiration for “Jesi’s Ghost” came from her life and the times she has walked through hell. Her mother was murdered when she was young, she was a victim of abuse and neglect, the father of her oldest child committed suicide and still Jesi kept going. If I could alter Webster’s I would put Jesi’s picture beside resilience. Living through one thing would be horrific enough but Jesi has kept going grabbing the wisdom that comes from the

Apartment Hunting on Wheels

It has become a long term goal to move to Cincinnati, Ohio from my small town of Hamilton, Ohio for quite some time. The reasons are countless, more accessibility in housing, transportation and jobs, as well as more opportunity to show and sell my artwork. My husband and I are going through a separation so I thought that this is the moment to make the big move happen. One more leap of faith into the middle of great hope and humble dreams. Here in Hamilton there are few resources for the kind of independence that a big city has to offer, but moving further away from family and into the arms of friends that I haven’t even made yet is both scary and exciting. However, I know if I do not make the effort and take the risk I will regret it. With every goal comes effort and resilience. I must keep a determination to go knock on the next door when the one I have been beating on closes. Sometimes I feel like I am just having a staring contest with a teddy bear and it is inevitable that I will

Neglected but NOT Abandoned

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Park Bench Secrets by Etha Walters First post of the New Year and I of course have many resolutions to achieve in 2011 which included a new commitment to my blogs. 2010 was a tuff year with financial hardships that resulted in having to sell some of my photography equipment just to get by. There was also an assault on my daughter that changed her life and ours. So we were glad to see the promise of change in a new year. In November, I started working at JC Penny. I am working as a greeter. It is a far cry from my profession and I had to choke down some pride in regards to stereo-types, but I am really glad that I did. The people that I work with are amazing, it is like entering a close nit family and I was a long lost cousin. The customers are awesome too. Every day I talk to someone new and I get something out of every conversation. I get told stories, jokes and people share little pieces of their life with me. I find myself feeling very blessed and inspired, creating photographs