Mom is a strong woman, always a good soul with a forthright attitude. It’s in her nature to speak frankly and honestly without crassness or ill temper. As the child of German immigrants, she carries some of that forwardness and integrity indicative of their culture. One always knows where Mom is coming from. They can also be certain hers is a fair, objective, carefully thought out opinion. Unless it’s about tattoos. (She is not a fan!)

However, it seems also she is the one who passed much of the creative gene on to me, leading to my life as a working artist. Family vacations were documented by her adept eye. Her hand made the paintings and frames in the house. The book cabinets and other woodworks are also her creation.

She set quiet examples instead of telling me what to do. As a teen, I watched as she struggled with working a full-time job while going to college, often falling asleep on her study books. All-in-all, she is one of my inspirations of how to seek a good life.

Now, I am a blessed, lucky man. I’m surrounded by a wife is also a truly awe-inspiring supermom, a sister who makes me extremely proud with her little one, and my mother. One who I look to as a sage in much the same way same I did as the boy who looked up at her as his loving Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

-Nick, Photographer