You thought we were done didn’t you? Surprise! I always had this look in mind for a sixth but I’ve already done it. It came the end of the week and I wanted to wear it to church. So, I figured, why not make a post of it.
I’ve talked a lot about this shirt so I’m just going to point you in this direction and continue on. Instead of talking fashion (and really, there’s not much to say that I haven’t already said), I want to take a minute to talk about this mural again and why I felt like I really wanted to do the After the Storm shirt in this specific spot.
In my first mural post, I touched on the fact that it and baby Hey J practically share a birthday. What I didn’t mention was the fact that it was a complete coincidence that we took his birthday pictures there. I guess I can’t say complete because the other day, I noticed the wall depicted a family and a home. I thought to myself- that’s a beautiful symbolism after the year we’ve had. If you’ve been reading my blog for five minutes, you know (and are probably sick of hearing about it), I have PPA. The last year was hard for our whole family. I struggled, my husband struggled, even the kids struggled. Mental health is not something that is limited to the sufferer. My health affects all of us. My ability to function in my role of teacher, housekeeper, and caregiver, affects all of us. I saw the mural, and knew that was the spot for baby Hey J’s birthday pictures, which also happened smack dab in the middle of the 5×5 challenge.
That’s why we took the pictures in front of this wall. It wasn’t until I was writing the post that I realized when the mural was painted. According to news articles, construction began two days after baby Hey J was born, probably right as we were getting home from the hospital. Here’s the thing. We don’t drive by that building every day by any stretch, it’s kind of in a courtyard, between buildings. But, it is on the side of one of my favorite antique stores, and I sometimes drive by there on the way to and from target and the kid’s activities. So, I’ve seen this mural many times. I don’t think I ever really saw what it was. I remember at some point making a comment to my dear photographer (otherwise known as my husband) once when we first saw it something about “huh I wonder why they put that there?” It’s a little out of place in our small, rural, old fashioned town (but I’m thinking with all the similar street art popping up, it won’t seem so out of place soon!). It wasn’t until I really looked at it that I saw what it was a picture of family. Not just a family but the concept of family. The artist did an amazing job bringing not only a beautiful design but an idea to life. When I look at that wall, I feel inspired. I feel love. I feel home.
When I saw the date on the article, it hit me hard. I’ve been asleep. For the last year, I’ve been going through the motions. I’ve been cleaning and caring and scheduling. I’ve been doing all my normal and relatively successfully so if I do say so myself (minus a few hiccups but in the grand scheme of life there are bound to be those whether my perfectionist self wants to admit it or not). It wasn’t until I really sat and thought about how many times I’d seen this wall without really seeing it that I realized how much I’ve missed through my battle with PPA. It’s not that I feel sorry for myself, it’s that I’m happy to be coming back into my own. I’m happy to be alive. I’m happy to be awake. And, that’s how I feel when I look at this beautiful wall- “Poetry in Motion,” that it is.
Quick fashion recap:
Why I chose this: See above. I felt like I had to include this look in the capsule even though I already did a post on it.
What worked about it: It’s fun and casual. Perfect for a day with the kids and Sunday morning mass.
How I felt: Emotional. Put together. Chic. I love this shirt, I love this skirt. Together they pretty much hit it out of the park.
Shirt: Hudson Lillian Designs (All proceeds go to the Always with Me Foundation. They are almost sold out so get your shirt now to support the cause.)
Skirt: Old
Watch: Jord Watches (Enter the Giveaway to win a shopping spree at Jord Watches, this one is the husband’s but I’m dying for the Frankie myself!)
Mural: “Poetry in Motion” by Alice Mizrachi
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