melodygphotography.com.au » Adelaide Wedding, Couple, family & newborn photography by Melody Gibbs

Tip #1 – While in public places with the possibility of a complete emotional breakdown huge, dark, dark sunnies work perfectly. You can have a massive cry and no body knows. Except if you’re an ugly crier like me and your whole face goes red and blotchy and puffy.

Tip #2 – While wearing the aforementioned glasses. Make sure you can actually SEE when you are in shopping centers. The first time you bang in to a wall it’s okay, any more than that and security start to follow.

We say goodbye tomorrow. I’m not ready to say goodbye. I just want him here. With us. With his fiancee, with his kids.

I’ve spent 35 out of the last 38 hours making a slideshow to show tomorrow. It was the hardest thing I’ve done. it hurt so bad to see his smiling face and know that I’d only be seeing in photos from now on. I hope the rest of the family like it.

Love you always.

xxx

I lost my brother in law yesterday.

My children lost an uncle. My husband lost a friend.

My sister in law lost her life partner. My niece and nephews lost their Dad.

Hold close those that you love.

Make time to see those that you miss.

Cherish every.single.moment. that you share.

Love always.

It seems to surreal to be sitting here typing. How can the sun still shine, the earth still rotate. Life as we know it has changed. There is a big, huge gaping hole that will never be filled.

Oh Chris. How I wish you were here and I’d punch you in the face for putting us all through this. Dude. I miss you so much!

Thank you so much to those who already known and have sent gestures of support. It means more to me / us than you could ever know.

If there was one thing Chris would say it’s “family”.

“Family comes first”.

In light of these recent events I’m going to be taking a couple of weeks off.

Thanks guys.

xxx

As wedding season once again comes to a close I sit back and take a BIG sigh.

I love what I do. Love it so much sometimes I feel that it’s wrong.

However every year around the same time I’m left feeling uneasy. There’s always so much more I want to do, so much more that I want to achieve. I used to think I was alone in these struggles. Until I came across this wonderful video by Zack Arias You may remember I was lucky enough to meet Zack last year at Inspire Me Anyways you can watch it here. Transform

So what do I do? I shut my doors, turn off my phones, walk away from the computer and try to “re-invent” myself. This year that has included de-activating my Facebook account (Oh shock horror! – Don’t worry, I’ll be back, but more about that in another post) – Revamping my blog and completely analyzing and reanalyzing the way I shoot.

My bestie Shana calls it “My Wilderness time”, She says it’s when I take a trip into the wilderness to find myself. I think she’s pretty spot on! During this time I shoot, a lot. But for myself. Sometimes I delete straight off the camera, sometimes i take it in to photoshop and have a little play, other times I “see” in my head what I want an image to look like so I set about making my photo into that vision.

Here’s a few I have to share.

I’ll catch you on the “other side”!

xxx {Melody}

Every moment your heart is moved is precious. Stop everything else you’re doing & pay careful attention.

 

One last heartbeat, one last breath, and then silence. Nothing. 7.45am this morning. February 8 2010

 

This morning our beautiful Granny took her last breath and left us all. She finally believed us that we’d be okay, and went on to be with Poppy. Pain free. I am so glad to see her fly free at last. But I miss her so dearly. The mere thought that I will never see her face to face again is a physical pain. So deep.

 

I have the need, the desire to write so much, but not the words to say. The last few days have been the most emotional days I have ever experienced as a person. I am forever changed from this experience.

 

My husband. I am so very proud of him. Oh how it pained him to see his Granny, a mere shell of the vibrant woman she once was, lying helpless on that hospital bed. However he was determined that he would be there for her as much as physically possible. He kept a bedside vigil, pulling a couple of 24 hour stints just so she would feel his presence. He left the hospital this morning at 7am. Granny passed at 7.45am. I believe this to be her final gift to him. She has always been thoughtful like that. 

 

To be surrounded, almost bombarded by people in her final hours. Surely that is a testament to what a beautiful person she was. Her Sons, her daughter, her brother & sisters, her grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. Granny touched the lives of so many, and so many wanted to give the only gift they could. Love. It was palpable, you could actually feel the love as it surrounded this amazing, wonderful woman. When it’s my turn to go, I can only hope to be surrounded by the amount of love as what Granny was. Even the nurses were commenting on how lovely it was to see so many around her bedside.

 

There are so many moments that will stay with me forever. So good, some bad, some just plain beautiful. But before I get into them I need to say a huge thank you. The love my family and I have been surrounded in these past few days has been just the biggest blessing. My sister Hayley, and her husband Shaun watched the kids for me yesterday afternoon / evening which allowed me to go and sit. Sit next to Peter, next to Granny and spend a few hours just being. My sister in law Catherine, took my older 3 on friday and let them sleep over, while Shana had Declan. That enabled us to spend the entire night with Granny. Holding her hand. I will be forever grateful for that gift.

 

A few of the standout moments for me:

Great Uncle Mel. Granny’s brother. He is one of the best story tellers I have ever met. Thank you for lightening the mood. Granny would have laughed along with us at your stories.

Thurs afternoon, Uncle Brett (I think), thinking he’s doing the right thing leans over to Granny and says, “Mum I love you, it’s time for you to be with Dad. Just go to sleep.” Granny struggles to open her eyes and says, “I’m not going anywhere yet.”! LOL oh poor Brett!

Fri evening, Granny asking for her boys one by one. She could do no more then whisper their names. But she looked into their eyes, and they into hers, words didn’t need to be spoken. Raw emotion did the job.

Fri around midnight, Granny briefly woke, my cousin Bronwyn took her hand and told Granny she loved her. Granny mouthed back “I love you” and made kiss lips, Pete then said, “Granny, it’s Pete here. I love you so much”, to which she raised her hand and simply placed it on his cheek.

 

There are so many more, but right now, it pains me too much to write about them.

 

Aunty Jacky & Uncle John. You guys are my new found heros. Aunty Jacky, I can not imagine how hard it has been for you watching your mother slowly slip away, yet you stood by, a strong firm rock at her side. You did everything you possibly could to make sure she was comfortable and relaxed. You have taught me so much about love, true, unwavering love, these last few days. John, being the constant support that Jacky needed. Just so beautiful to watch. You guys are amazing and I love you so much.

 

Bronwyn, you beautiful soul. I would cry, just simply seeing your face. You’re no good at hiding your feelings! But I so strongly admire the fact that it hurt, it hurt you so bad, yet you stayed with her, made her comfortable and spoke to her as often as you could. The most beautiful gift you could ever give your Granny. I will hold our time spent together Friday night close to my heart forever.

 

Uncle Brett & Gen. Your strength is astounding. I will so deeply cherish Sunday afternoon spent with you Pete & Granny. Brett the tenderness in the way you spoke to your Mum, the love in your eyes. It is something I will never forget. Gen, I could see how much you love Granny, for her to put her trust in you and to look after her “Little Brett” shows just how much she loved you in return. You are a beautiful person, not only a blessing to Uncle Brett, but to all of us.

 

Ayla. Wow. There is literally nothing more I can say. This young woman is a single mother to 2 beautiful children. She would be a Mum during the day, then once the kids were in bed, she’d have somebody watch them and spend the night with Granny. She didn’t ever have to say much. You could see by her actions how deeply she cared for her Granny. You are an inspiration Ayla. I count myself blessed to have been able to spend so much time with you.

 

Uncle Robert, Uncle Mark & Uncle Dean, you beautiful people. To watch you bathe your Mum in love and kindness, was truly a beautiful sight. To see big, almost burley, grown men treat their Mum with the upmost respect and most of all love, well it’s not something that you see every day.

 

All the cousins, grandchildren & great grandchildren I have met over the last few days. You guys are simply beautiful. To stop your busy lives to come and spend time with Granny. Thank you.

 

And finally I can not do a blog post with out a couple of photos. 

 

Firstly the stupid parking ticket machine. Oh how I grew to hate this machine! The amount of money this stupid machine devoured…

 

The corridor, the dreaded corridor. The first walk down, not knowing what would await our arrival. The subsequent walks, never knowing what was just around the corner. Late night pacing. Pulling myself together in this corridor so I could sit next to Granny with a smile.

 

And finally, the Granny I will always remember.

 

She didn’t find a cure for aids, didn’t stop world hunger and she didn’t cause world peace. However she was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, and above all, she was a friend. And in that she was the best friend a person could ask for. 

 

RIP Granny. Love you always. xxx

 

*NB* – Thank you to all my clients for your support during this time. The emails and texts I have received have meant  so much. I aim on getting through the backlog of emails of the next couple of days and blogging will resume as normal.