“Sealed with a Kiss” is my first adventure into photography storytelling. I met Odette on a street in Amsterdam, close to a canal right in front of her store. She was sitting on the lap of her husband, head slightly titled and talking with him. It was a moment that felt so vulnerable and open but also private. I walked into the store and she got up and came in. We shared communion of words.
Her husband suffers from end-stage Alzheimers. A decision needed to made whether to send him to a care home or let him stay. She made the decision to have him by her side till the very end. She told me about the healing power of love. When all is gone, memories forgotten, and time is of no consequence, we’ll always feel love.
I shared my story with her. My story of making a decision to love and care even when things are uncertain and days are hard. But, what will always stay with me is the hug we shared. I felt connected, rejuvenated and understood. Not every meaningful conversation will lead to a lifelong friendship but there are those that will go to your origin story, and remind you of why you are and why you do the things you do.
I am grateful to Odette for letting me into a moment so intimate and for also letting me be vulnerable with her by sharing her vulnerability. We might never meet again, but I’ll always carry her story, her hug, her warmth, her smile and her incredible spirit with me nicely tugged in the corner of my heart where I keep things I treasure.
