Son and mother, Berkeley, CA.
And a nod to the mother of Mother’s Day, Julia Ward Howe  (Anna Jarvis’ latecomer’s trademarks notwithstanding):
Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation – 1870
Arise then…women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
“We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”
From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace…
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God –
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
Reprinted from the Code Pink page, one of the many iterations of it online. Amor vincit omnia, sisters and brothers.
Beautiful shot – especially the way their lips line up. (And I’m a photographer, so it’s no empty praise …)
I always like your photos, but there is something about this one that really captures my attention. I can’t really explain it — the look in his eyes, the juxtaposition of her adult hands and his little kid hands, the intimacy of mother and child — I don’t know exactly what it is, but I think this is a wonderful shot. Thanks for sharing. I hope your family has a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Thank you so much, cardamom and valeriegp. Another serendipitous moment, during which I was lucky nobody moved before I got there with the camera. After all the alignment of bodies (and his does take after hers a great deal), I think it’s the look in his eyes that strikes me. Something about the self, looking, unadulterated by mirth, or engagement in another object, or what have you. Just him, simple, confident, belonging. At least that’s what I see.
Thank you for the well-wishing on the day: we couldn’t feel more fortunate or blessed (nor more aware of the fortune and the blessing). Warm maternal regards back to you all.
I saw the photo the same way you did, LD. Most of your other photo posts of him involve action shots, and this was just very sweet, quiet and perfectly comforted.
I really enjoyed it…thanks for sharing!
Thank YOU for enjoying it all. Can you imagine a happier state of being for a parent? It’s like I have my wallet opened up, and out come-a-flapping fold after fold of kid photos. Of course the nice thing is, in the internet, one doesn’t see those who roll their eyes and walk away. Just the fellow softies who lean forward and go “Ooooo!”
And on a more serious note. I do hope that some who might be eye-rolling types (maybe even those out to divest us from our civil rights & protections) might stumble across the site, match up the blog title and the imagery and go, “Hmm. Kid looks happy. Hmm.” And then walk away.