Kathy

While the Heartbeat Bloggers were working on their series of motherly love posts, photographer, Kathy, had her own epiphany. At the end of the summer, as her youngest son, Ryan, was heading back to college, it hit her that her nest was – well – about to empty. To celebrate the bittersweet moment they went on a “Mom and Ryan day” to the New England Aquarium in Boston’s North End. Kathy oldest son, Dustin, now teaches in Thailand. The boys were ages 4 and 8 when Kathy’s husband died and she was left to raise them on her own.

Q. What were you thinking when this photograph was taken? When you look at this do you see your son as a man or as child?

A. “I’ll be honest with you. I don’t see the man. I see the man in the making. And I was thinking that this was a turning point in my life as a mother. That he was not going to be home next summer – that he would not be living with me anymore – that my home would no longer be his home.  I was so focused for so long on raising my children that I didn’t think it would end, or I didn’t notice it was ending.”

Boston, MA

June and Lucy

On this amazing, sunny morning, Lucy gets ready for her first day of eighth grade, while mom, June, a writer, helps schlep books, bags and instruments. June and Bill, her husband of 24 years, adopted Lucy from China, 12 years ago. The annual first-day-of-school photograph is a family ritual.

Q. What do you love most about your mom?
A. (June) I love that Lucy has such a big and kind heart. And she’s a wonderful sous chef.

Q. What do you love most about your daughter?
A. (Lucy) She helps me with basically everything I need, especially with my English homework. Not my best subject. And I love cooking with her.

Nashua, N.H.

Shelley

Shelley, a stylist and hair salon owner, had her first child, Taylor, when she was 18 and son, Zach, three years later. Ten months ago, at age 42, Shelley gave birth to her third child – Boyd.

Q. How is motherly love different now than it was when you had your first baby at age, 18?

A. It’s still unconditional love, but when I was younger, before I had children, I didn’t really understand what that meant. This time I knew. There are plenty of times when it doesn’t feel good but you do it anyway, because that’s what being a mother is. You sacrifice for your children. It’s absolute devotion.  I also understand the payoff to that devotion …when things are good, I make a point of taking it all in so I can remember those wonderful moments.

- Hudson, N.H.

Amanda

Outside the family business, Cafe La Florence, in Treasure Cay, Bahamas, Amanda, 28, snuggles her one-year-old daughter, Paisley. Amanda is in a  relationship with Paisley's father and firmly believes that "love is beautiful." 

Q.  What do you want to teach your daughter about love?

A.  To have fullness of love, you first have to love yourself. Anyone who comes to you and anyone who wants to have a relationship with you, has to love you for who you are. And love is unconditional.  Some people make mistakes. Some people are not perfect. If you love them, you'll deal with it. If they love you, they'll do better.

- Treasure Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

Caitlin

 

Caitlin, 28, and her husband, Rick, have two daughters, Cathlene, 4, and Jane, five months. Caitlin went to midwifery school and in the past, served as doula for five births. When it came time to have her own babies, there was no doubt that they’d be born at home. And there was also no doubt, that she and Rick did not want to learn the sex of their children ahead of time.

Q.  Did you fall in love at first sight when your babies were born?

A.  I did. I absolutely did fall in love at first sight. Cathlene was born by candlelight at 2 in the morning in our bed. Since both of my daughters were born at home there was no interference - no bright lights, or machines to get in the way of me, my husband and them at the moment of their birth.  I think not knowing what (what sex) the babies were, was part of being so in love at first sight … there were no expectations, no feeling like you have already met the person. It allowed us to meet them for the first time.

Nashua, N.H.

We Heart Art

Market Basket is a low-priced grocery chain of 71 stores with 25,000 employees. Since July 18, there have been rallies, boycotts, and protests (like the one shown in the above, right photos at the Hudson, N.H. Market Basket) over the removal of former CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas. Arthur T., as he's lovingly called by his employees, was replaced by a board of directors now controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, a rival successor to the supermarket empire built by the Arthurs' immigrant grandparents. In the last three and a half weeks many members of the stores' management teams, sympathetic to Arthur T., were fired or resigned. And last week hours were cut for thousands of part-time workers because of the severe decline in business due to the job actions resulting from this family feud. The company also told about 200 employees they will be fired unless they report to work by Friday of this week. The 71 stores, like the Fletcher Street Market Basket, stay open but shelves are nearly empty due to interrupted shipping on the part of warehouse workers sympathetic to Arthur T.

Bill, 28, is the front end manager at the Fletcher Street Market Basket in Lowell, Massachusetts. Market Basket Store # 1. This is the site (above, left photo) of the first grocery store opened by the Demoulas  family after they emigrated from Greece nearly 100 years ago when the city was still a booming center of manufacturing. This is still very much an ethnic neighborhood, where most customers walk to the store instead of drive and shop for several items once or twice a day. Bill has worked for the Market Basket Company for 12 years and knows many of his customers by name. One woman with a toddler in tow, looked at Bill and smiled. “Sorry I’m breaking the boycott. But someone needs ice cream.” 

Q.  Do people really love Arthur T. (ousted CEO of the Market Basket grocery store chain) that much?

A.  Yes.  Absolutely yes. Arthur T. has always taken care of his employees. He's always doing these wonderful things for people and not because he's getting publicity for it. He just does them quietly because he's a good guy. And he's been doing it for years. That's why there's been this reaction. Our receiving director died just recently.  Mr. D drove to Haverhill to spend time with his widow. He's picked up the tabs for some employees' funerals to help their families. You'd think a CEO would just be there for the higher ups. But Mr. D is there for everyone - the managers, the baggers, the part-time people. Look at me. I'm 28, single. I've been working for Market Basket for 12 years and I just was able to buy a house. Not too many people my age, in my position could do that. It's because Mr. D takes care of his employees and we're able to make a living, a good living. So it's no surprise that everyone - the employees and our customers - reacted to this the way they did. We're a family. We're all a family. And the head of that family is Arthur T.

Lowell, MA

JoAnn, 62 and Greg, 63




JoAnn and Greg met online more than two years ago. She was a widow who had been married 34 years when her husband died in 2005. Greg is divorced. Both have grown children. While they see each other nearly every day, like this sunny Sunday at Benson's Park in Hudson, N.H. when they enjoyed a picnic, the two live in different houses in different states and like it that way.

Q. How is love different now than when you were young?


A. When you're young, you think you're in love, but you're really in lust and then it turns into love. In your 60s it's the same thing really. Just the other day Greg asked me if I thought I'd ever feel like this again. You know - like a teenager. Our kids are kind of disgusted by that - you know - the sexual stuff. So in that way, love is the same. But what's different is that we have a whole life behind us. We look at things differently. If I haven't seen him in a while, I can't wait to see him again, but I'm okay if I don't. I like my independence. I like my me time. I got used to that after my husband died. That's different than when you're young and you feel like you're going to die if you don't see each other every minute. I know in my heart I love Greg, but I also know I could live without him if I had to. But I don't want to.  He's it for me. I know that.

Hudson, N.H.