War Zone

My house is a war zone. You're almost always tripping over a toy, seeing a dish in the sink, and seeing laundry that needs to be folded.

I hate it.

I have to work super hard to take care of all four of my children and keep up with the house. This is all while trying to find a job to take care of them financially and while also trying to take care of myself. A lot of times, I'm alone. 

Then it got me focused back on a project that I wanted to do a long time ago. I wanted to document the life of a single mom. So I decided, why not do my own family? Why can't I focus on what goes on in my own household?

But as I've photographed us relentlessly over the last several weeks I've realized, really realized, something truly powerful. Many people are doing it alone. Even when they may not be alone, they still are. 

Then I realized that a lot of families, a lot of singles, a lot of couples face day to day and no one talks about it. No one talks about the anger mothers face when their children constantly rebel against them. No one talks about the abused woman who is too afraid to speak out and walks into her front door wondering if she's going to be hit again. Or what about the man who works 65 hour weeks and misses out on birthdays, holidays, even just time with his loved ones because he's so consumed with being the perfect employee.

No one talks about the seemingly adamantine situations so openly as to cut to the root of the issues. Instead, you find most people comparing their pasts, judging the now moments, and doubting their futures.

But you see friends. We are all in our own war zone. This is not a competition of whose past was the worst, whose life was more redeemed, or whose situation is more daunting. To each of us our situations are all hard. Our lives all have struggles and scream it if you have to but LIFE IS NOT ALL ROSES. My new motto is "bury the roses." Because if we bury that statement that life can always be sweet if we do x, y, and z then we can really get to the root of what issues we are facing day to day.

So enter in my new project "your'e not alone." Because each day for I honestly don't' know how long I will post my own war zone. Because life is tears, and pain, and tantrums, and walks in the park, and laughter, and you cannot leave anything out or you are missing key moments to grow.

You can start your own war zone project. You can document the realness in your life, share it with the world, and change a life. Over the course of time you can hashtag photos and short blurps of your own daily struggles. You can hashtag #warzone and #yourenotaloneproject and #burytheroses.

I cannot wait to walk this road. War doesn't scare me. What would scare me is not facing it head on. You need to know that you are not truly alone. That we can and will face these wars together.