The Object of My Affection

It still surprises me that there are different kinds of loves. I love to sew. I love to cook coq au vin. I love Jane Eyre. I love Iowa. I love San Francisco. I love Logan. I love God.

Shortly after Valentine was born, I realized that I was experiencing a completely new kind of love. Up to that point, my great love had been for Logan, and that love felt intense and changing, ever growing, often straine, and very passionate.

My love for Valentine was wholly different. It felt deep, concrete, and eternal. Within weeks of seeing her face, there was this force rushing through my veins, a surge of feeling that I knew would not wax or wane, but would continue as long as I was alive.

This kind of love has many names—storge; familial affection; “a wide-ranging force”; natural love; affection. Of it, Lewis wrote,

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our natural lives.

Experiencing this kind of visceral, instinctive love has taught me so much—about God’s love for me, how I can love Logan more wholly, what it feels like to not be the most important thing in my life anymore.

Recently, Mitzi Starkweather captured some beautiful moments between me and the object of my affection. These images are so much more than photos to me. They have preserved the feeling of what it means to love this child. They are such a gift to me and I’m deeply grateful for Mitzti’s skill and creativity in crafting them for us.

Mitzi is not sponsoring this post, I just wanted to share how much I appreciated her work. If you’re interested in getting in touch with her, you can fill out the contact form at mitzistarkweather.com/contact or email mitzistarkweather@gmail.com.