Somewhere over the rainbow

More emotions and an hilarious capture...

I love the snugness of this and Dad Steve's hands all embracing...

Gabriel, aged 3, graduates from the UCLA early intervention. I think Callum's graduation in November must be next, 3 years after we first joined the programme. Not a dry eye in the throbbing classroom, filled with their family and friends, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's rendition ever the theme song to the slideshow.

I'll greatly miss seeing this family weekly, Mum Deanne and I have formed a close bond, often accompanied by Dad Steve whose sister's huge 25 year wedding renewal I was privileged to photograph this year. But 18 months on, it's time to leave, it's always time to leave.

Was it the huge flood of emotions, the elevated voices for his hearing aid, or an awareness that he doesn't have a fixed school which sparked Reuben to cry loudly like the rest of the room during the speeches, Mom and Dad choking and trying to get their words out through the tears? And he didn't stop crying. I have not seen him display such emotion for 16 months after a terrible hospitalisation when his trach had to be put back in (temporarily). How aware is he really about not being at school today when he should have been? Reuben does not have the grasp of expressive language to tell me what he's feeling to that depth and whilst juggling Reuben, Callum - who is wiping Reuben's tears and hugging him - and the inevitable camera - I feel quite at a loss in dealing with his emotions, probably for the first time. It's extraordinary, and not in a pleasant way.

You wonder why we are all so emotional when it comes to graduation, the events of the last few days with Reuben perhaps providing an inclination of the uncertainty of what lies beyond this cushioned environment nestled in the arms of pine trees at UCLA.

It's been an informal privilege, perhaps known only to me, to capture each graduation of the last few years there.

Home, overwhelmed, and a big chat with my sister Geraldine today, planning their visit to LA, all the wonderful places we can visit together til our minds go dizzy. Reuben is back to himself again, the incident coming over him as quickly as it leaves.

Happy 39th birthday to my great Brit friend in LA, Vanessa.