December 31, 2005 6:57 PM
MommyLife's new look
Giving credit where credit is due -
I'd like to thank my BlogCommando, aka The King of Fools, aka Blogrescue for putting together the new look for my blog. He's also been the mastermind behind the holiday sections and any other bells and whistles at this site.
My son Ben took my picture. The last picture I had was taken by a pro who'd been hired by Light and Life magazine to take a picture of Tripp and me for an article of mine they were about to publish. I asked the pro to take a picture of me for my cards and paid him a considerable sum for it.
A year later, he sent me a bill for $125 as a continued licensing payment for my use of the picture. I was pretty surprised, because to tell you the truth, this guy must make a lot more than me. I know that for his accompanying picture he got several times what I got for the story.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands. In between running my kids all over town, yesterday I managed to put on some makeup and do my hair and Ben took about 120 pictures of me hanging out at the fence that runs by our property.
Have you noticed that many authors have a hand in their pictures? That's supposed to be symbolic of our profession. If you look closely, you will see that I am holding a fountain pen in my right hand, and you can see my wedding ring on my left. I like having those both there.
Ed airbrushed out the tattoo on my right hand - it's a rose and I got it at a tattoo parlor across from the Washington DC Greyhound bus terminal in 1969. Because Christians can be judgmental, I take it out of my pictures. Of course it's there as a constant reminder to me of the great transformation God wrought in my life. When Tripp and I were interviewed by Dr. Dobson in 1989, it was the surprise question with which he kicked off the interview: "Barbara, our listeners can't see this, but you have a rose tattooed on your right hand. Why don't you tell us the story behind it?"
How did he know? My goodness, the kindness and compassion of that man is phenomenal. He zeroed in on the very thing which was the ultimate expression of all the pain and confusion which compelled me to do any radical thing I could to draw attention to myself, to remind myself that I was special - when deep inside I felt that no one really cared.
So in addition to the writing symbology, my hands are very special to me. When I was training as a Montessori teacher, the expression From the hands to the mind - signifying the connection for children between the hands and learning - truly resonated with me.
When I was younger, my hands were very beautiful and people commented on them. Now they reflect years of work - which is very appropriate since my love language is service and my hands are the instrument with which I express my love.
So there you have the story behind the picture. Hope you like it!
Posted in Blogging, Writing | Permalink
Comments
I love it!
Posted by: Cheryl | December 31, 2005 8:49 PM
I like the picture, the story behind it, and the new blog look.
$125? Maybe we're in the wrong business.:-)
Posted by: Julana | January 1, 2006 7:00 PM
You look great, Mrs. Barbara, happy, confident and still real. Professional photos are so perfect you just 'know' they can't look that good for real.
Your story is great, I know I would have kept my tattoo as well. I also think it is a good thing to save your battle scars for later impressions. Seeing someone in the flesh for the first time it is easier to get a feel for the real them than a picture, no matter how vibrant.
Posted by: Cheri | January 2, 2006 6:20 AM
Barbara! I LOVE the new picture! Like a previous poster said, sometimes you can just tell a picture is posed (although I'd aways liked the old picture too ;) but in this one you just look more, i dunno, "you" (funny coming from me whom has only known you through your blogs LOL!) but still, very happy, relaxed and a humbled confidence. nice choice of colors to wear, i LOVE it all!
~Kristy
Posted by: Kristy | January 2, 2006 11:39 AM
I love it too, Barbara! Appreciate you!
Posted by: Holly | January 2, 2006 4:47 PM
I like the new pic too. And the new blog colors, purple is my fav color.
I would love to hear some of the resolutions that you and your family came up with, if ya'll are willing to share. :)
Happy New Year!
Posted by: Amie | January 3, 2006 7:13 AM
It was that rose (visible in your Flickr sideshow from someone's 2005 graduation) that helped me know it would be okay to email you when I first started reading your blog. It means: You Understand.
Posted by: floorplan | January 6, 2006 9:19 AM
And, love your new picture. Wise money choice. But I miss the kiwi-green color.
Posted by: floorplan | January 6, 2006 9:32 AM
