The Truth Behind This 5-Year-Old's Photo
There are certain moments in life that are rarely captured on camera. But a 5-year-old's photo has done just that. The beautiful photo is making its rounds on Facebook, but it's the story behind the photo that's made it so popular.
Credit: Facebook / The Barefoot Mum
Kelli, a 30-year-old photographer and blogger from Australia, was doing all she could to console her baby girl. The flu had run through the household, and finally caught up with her 20-month-old daughter, Summer.
Credit: Facebook / The Barefoot Mum
The poor girl had a nasty coughing fit, which caused her to get sick all over her mama and left her hysterical. So, Kelli stripped the both of them down and headed for the shower.
"She snuggled right into me and after a few minutes was calm and that's where we stayed for at least 15 minutes before my eldest son Taj came in with my phone to tell me I had received a message," Kelli recalled.
Little Taj, who often asks his photographer mommy if he can "have a go" at taking photos, pulled up the camera icon on Kelli's phone, and snapped some pictures of his mom and sis. It wasn't until later, after Kelli had gotten Summer to finally doze off on her chest as the two lay on the couch, that she thought to take a look at the photos her son had taken.
One image in particular jumped out to the weary, emotionally drained mom. The 5-year-old's photo completely stunned her by what he'd managed to capture:
"A moment of pure exhaustion but an incredible bond of unconditional love between a mother and child," Kelli said.
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And so, "The Barefoot Mum" as she is called on her Facebook page, decided to share the striking moment. And what she wrote is such a remarkable illustration of motherhood.
Here’s what Kelli wrote about the 5-year-old’s photo:
"I was debating whether or not to post this, but this is real, raw, and one of the absolute worst parts of Motherhood that at some stage, we will all go through!!
The part nothing or no-one can prepare you for, the part where you would give every ounce of your entire being to make your poor baby feel ok again.
Every cry and every tear makes your heart break just that little bit more and your only wish is that it was you instead.
I haven't slept in days and am physically & mentally exhausted myself, but as all Mums do, we keep going!
This morning as Summer was coughing, being sick and working herself up into a frenzy, my Mumma instincts kicked in and I put us both in the shower, with the soothing sound of running water and the warmth touching our skin, she was calm within minutes......then, my 5 year old came in and snapped this!! Such a raw emotive moment of Motherhood in all her glory......messy bun and all!!"
These words came straight from Kelli's heart, and though she was at first hesitant to share such an intimate moment, she ultimately decided to do so in the hopes that it may inspire and comfort another parent having a tough day. And it's that powerful, unconditional love that has caused her post to go viral.
In a follow up post, Kelli says she's incredibly humbled by the impact her photo and story have had. She says she's not even sure the exact reason she decided to post it, but we know it was a special purpose appointed by God.
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Her photo has touched so many mothers, fathers and grandparents, who've commented on her post with messages of gratitude and heartwarming stories of parenthood. And it's that unconditional love -- that devotion even through the toughest of times -- that mirrors the love our Savior has for us.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:7-11
This mom rejected abortion after being brutally raped, and now she and her daughter have an absolutely beautiful bond!
1 John 4:7-11
h/t: GodUpdates