Changing the World - One diaper at a time

And then it doesn't matter what we choose to do with our lives, some people have this desire of being relevant in what they do and with that bringing some kind of transformation to this world.

Of course there are different visions in how this can be done and some people are more radical than others in their choices in life, but at the end we are all the same. 

Everyone wants the world to see 'the world' through their eyes.

This blog is mostly in portuguese (my bad guys I'm sorry) but as I have mentioned before in previous posts, our desire as a family is to glorify God and dignify humanity.

This summer we just came back from this amazing "Around the World" trip where we had the privilege to meet a lot o people and somehow influence some of them. I confess that when we got back home I was a little bit depressed thinking: "Wow, now I will be mostly home with my daughter while my husband goes out there to help to change the world."

And then I was reminded of some months ago as soon as Isabella was born when I had a similar question in my mind and had some revelations about it I would like to share here.

I work in a place called TFI - The Film Institute, where, before my daughter was born I helped to train students from all over the world with media and photography so that they could go out there and dignify humanity and give voice for the voiceless with their photos and videos. We had amazing results out of these training sessions as a change in a law related to adoption in Panamá, but also we had our challenges. In spite of that, having these stories coming from many parts of the world gives you the feeling that you really are doing some difference in this earth even if small, but you are part of something.

Now that I am mostly working from home than out there, sometimes I have this crises as many of my friends that are first time moms, that you are  missing something. 

Somehow in our generation we were trained to think individually and selfishly (my dreams, my calling, my career) that, what back in the day was such an honor to our great-grandmas and grandmas, became embarrassing and gives us the feeling of being diminished in our life 'calling' because of MATERNITY. 

My experience is not that different from those moms struggling between the words "career" and "maternity" as if one would compete with the other.

Who says? Where is it written that one has to compete with the other??

Because if we stop to think about it, using my example, photography is just my job but this does NOT define me as a person. It is just what I love to do and the tool given to me to bring light and give voice. Being a mom is inside of me engraved in every cell of my body, I was made a female already prepared to be a mom even before coming our of my mom's womb. Even if I lose my children one day I will NEVER stop being a mom,

Once a mom, always a mom.

This in itself shows how important this role is in women's life but at this time in history Western society diminished at the point of bringing guilt to the heart of those who were born to be moms. Biological or adopted, there is nothing in the world capable of revealing more about the UNCONDITIONAL LOVE than maternity. Children are NOT a burden they are an investment, they are the ones who will define the future of cities, countries, the whole world.

When my daughter was 2 months old I was driving coming back from a photographic project and I was a bit confused about my role now with a baby in my arms and a camera in my neck. I heard this voice in my heart: "Nadia, all this projects, even if they get to change the world and influence humanity, one day they will be in shelves or in boxes and nobody will remember about them, they are just momentary, in 10 years everything you find yourself involved with right now will be different but in 10 years your children will be there being prepared to love and influence the next generation…

Nádia, YOUR CHILDREN ARE THE SHARPEST ARROWS YOU HAVE IN YOUR HANDS TO CHANGE THE WORLD, INVEST IN THEM AND YOU WONT REGRET..."

I was in chock inside of the car and I began to think that everything in this life really shall past, but the biggest treasures I have today are the good teachings I received from my parents and the memories that built me up to be who I am today. Of course life is about learning always, I am far away from perfection but walking to be a better person. And that is what I wish for my children that they may also enter this journey of discovery to be EVERYTHING they were created to be. May they keep the good principles and learn how to prioritize what is more valuable in life: God, Love and their neighbor. May they understand that every material thing in this life that we dream conquering everyday, one day is not gonna be there or it will be old fashioned and past but Love and Memories remain.

I want to learn to launch my children to the target of what the Creator has dreamed for them. May this be a small portion that will help to change the world. I don't have control over their future choices but I can plant seeds in their hearts to guide them into doing good choices.

Yes, I still dream with crazy photography projects, I still dream of traveling the world documenting stories of women, orphans and refugees. I dream of entering places to capture images that the world is not used to see in daily life, I dream os documenting the daily life in places where people think there is just hopelesness. I dream high big and crazy, but I know that I never stopped my job of changing the world being a tiny piece in this puzzle of history that involves billions, what it changed is the way how I'm doing this in this season of life…

Changing the world… One diaper at a time

"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

are children born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man 

whose quiver is full of them."

Psalm 127:4-5 (Bible NIV)

Nadia Otake