the process of remembering: a photoblog by andrew huth

A few weeks ago my sister Allison gave birth to her first child William Martin Claxton. I had the privilege of being invited to witness his birth and to photograph this event for them. I had never witnessed the birth of a baby before and it is something I will never forget. The awesome paradox of any birth is that it is both one of the most commonly boring and yet most magical moments ever to take place in this world. Needless to say, even though I got back from the hospital before 8 at night, I found myself still awake the next morning trying to process this miracle called birth. As my brother Dave said to me once, “we are all born from each other—-it’s crazy” or something like that. What a poignant truth this is. We are all born from one another. I am your family. You are my family. Yet a birth is only a half of a life. The rest is of course the raising of one. Here, some have been more fortunate than others. The miracle of a child’s birth and the suffering we are constantly faced with all around us stands as a reminder of the necessity that we need to take care of each other. We need to expand our definition of what a family is. We need to take responsibility for each other and our own actions. Like a small drop rippling outward, it is my hope that the tiny acts of love we show our circle of influences also will radiate to reach a larger world. William Martin is one of the fortunate ones as he will start his life being loved by my sister Allison and my brother-in-law Rich.

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