Michelle, on Love. Sling Diaries, Vol VII.

The Sling Diaries, Volume VII. A photo-documentary chronicling the art of baby wearing in the lives of families around the world. Over the course of six months, Sling Diarists will create their own Sling Diary though a series of diary entries interpreting a unique theme given to them each month.

Meet all of our Sling Diarists here.

ON LOVE

We opened the door me and my youngest to soak in the breeze of the day, the scent of rain in the distance. As she toddled ahead looking above she caught sight of the beauty held in birds as they fled in a V formation, migrating off in the distance. She stood, her eyes still to the sky, her arms had been held up to her chest her small hands tightly bound near her chin, and all of a sudden her arms dropped her tiny hands and fingers stretched out, she took in a deep breath of wonderment found in the sky above, The space in-between us was one held with whimsy and wonder in this moment. My wonderment was not focused on the sky though it was held in watching her. The moment followed, as her arms dropped, she then lifted them stretched up to the sky and back down again as if she was flying with the birds, its as if every dream in her mind in that moment was attainable. She turned facing me, her face filled with joy. She ran to me with her arms still flapping as wings, her face toward the sky as the birds disappeared. Her eyes then meeting mine, and as she approached me she fell into me with excitement and a sweet giggle in what she had discovered.

I held her with pride, pride of what we as a family are inculcating in our child's hearts, that being love of nature, and the curiosity of what is held in the blue sky above and the green pastures below. I want them to Inculcate a relationship with the land, the air, the water, a connection that makes them lost in nature, in that moment.

There is a deep peace found in nature, the peace we find in nature together has intertwined our love into a deeply rooted foundation. As it rains we chase rainbows, and as we find them hands held high my eldest daughter Paisleys bottle of childhood is being filled with wonder and brightly colored rainbows. THIS I hope will let her know that when the skies are grey, and the days are long that she can escape to the fields allowing the earth to heal her. To reminisce in the moments of childhood where she was in awe of the rainbow, while I was in awe of her.

In this moment of chasing rainbows as her eyes leave the rainbow bowing down over her shoulder meet to meet my face, let her bottle up how I as her mother stared at her in awe and love. I stared at her in pure admiration of her being.

I hope these meanderings in nature make them lovers of beauty in earths abound . I hope it pulls them in a yearning as the Welsh word “cynefin” means to feel they ought to live where nature around you simply feels right. When my son smells the scent of dirt, I hope he remembers himself as a young boy and the nights I tucked him in too late for a bath because we were too busy outside rollicking in the grass, digging in the dirt, giving each other mud facials from the garden. With the scent of grass I hope he remembers how I would smell his sticky little head and smell just that, for those scents of outside to remind him how I'd wrestle him to get the dirt from his nails.

I yearn to see or hear about the days when they are grown, all three reminiscing of the love we inculcated in our days of wandering amidst the trees and fields. I hope they love, even tear up about these moments and how fast, fleeting those moments of being under the sun without a care in the world. In the moments of them reminiscing my greatest hope is they know I and their father always love them no matter what, We hope they take pride in being familiar with that unconditional love. Forever wanting them to find that message of unwavering love we have in the blooming wildflowers, when their bare feet touch the grass, and when they inhale the scent of wet wheat from rainfall. Let nature be home away from home allowing them to feel a heartfelt bounty of eternal love for them.

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Follow along with Michelle over on Instagram, @sunmoondaises, and The Sling Diaries on Pinterest.