The Whole Point of Heartache, Arguements and Difficult Days

Here is the most beautiful girl I have seen in 18 years - only she is no longer a girl she is a strong , talented young woman. Full of love and passion for those around her. From her first breath it has been a struggle to reach this day. I was told so many times by so many professionals that she would never be the woman she is. I won't minimize the long list of struggles and the even longer list that she will continue to face. However, today my little girl just beat the odds.

Here is another reason that we battle the tough times and share the good. Love. Its not always kind or easy. But real love will endure years of challenges and multiple celbrations. I had Melina doing formal photos yesterday but I came in and shot pictures behind her. This was a truly awesome photo of my parents and you can't help but feel the love that was there. THis coming September they will have been married for 47 years. What an amazing achievement. I am so very proud of them for reaching this milestone and being there to support my siblings and myself. I know they will continue to be there for us in days to come.


This is fine young gentleman is my nephew from my first marriage. I have only recently had the chance to get to know this young man after 15 years of being apart. This is a gift that Diane has given me without even knowing it. She has continued to be involved with Robbie and his life and now that they no longer require adults to control all that they do they are great friends. Robbie came to Diane's grad all on his own. I think that speaks volumes to his fortitude and desire to know his extended family on his own terms. He was a joy and delight to spend the day with. He was a good sport about contortioning into positions for photos, a perfect gentleman with respect to chivalry, grabbed my camera and took photos when I couldn't. He even had the magic tide pen when Diane spilled and stained her dress unexpectedly. He regaled us with his travel adventures and touched my heart with his stories of his late mom. I am glad that I am being given the oppurtunity to know this young man.

Yes, I am feeling a bit sappy this day after graduation - and I realize how many good things I have to be thankful for in a sea of rough waves. So bring on the difficult times, hard tasks and days of heartache, for without those moments I am sure I wouldn't appreciate the rays of sunshine, rainbows of wonder, and the love that I have been blessed with.

Capturing Those Not So Charming Moments

All to often we don't anticipate the consequences of an action. Particularly an action that is based on goodness and compassion. Most of you know that 8 mos ago I raised a significant amount of money for Cancer in a "Crop for the Cure". My Mom was in the midst of chemo and I felt helpless to help her. A local radio was running a fundraising campaign raising $500 to shave the bosses head. I flippantly said my locks were worth a minimum of $2,000 and before I knew it the money was raised and collected and I was facing friends and collegues with no locks.

This page currently has 4 pages of thoughts and reflections of these past few months. There are more pages to be written and the pocket will hold plenty more as I am able to come to terms. I don't regret my choice - not for a minute - what I do know is that it had a far more profound effect on me than I could have predicted. This was a life changing moment.

I have included a small excerpt ( don't want to bore you to death SMILE).


"I must admitt that I have no personal recollection of the cutting/shaving of my hair. I see the sequence of photos and I find myself thinking I don't remember that. I do have recollections of people watching me and my thoughts of don't cry. I do remember the feeling of being sick the next morning as I walked into my bathroom and looked into the mirror. The tears flowing with out end. How could I be so very shallow......"

What's my point of today's posting? It's important to include your hard to deal with subjects as well as the good. You don't have to leave the journalling out there for the world to see, hide it. You don't even have to tell a single soul. But what an amazing gift for future generations to discover. They will discover the real you. Not the pretty angelic smiling one, not the picture perfect flawless one. They will discover the person that made bad or difficult choices and had to live with the consequences and how they made you the person that they knew. Be real, be honest and be true to you!

Sunsets

My favourite time of Day or Night is Sunset and Sunrise. This was one from 2005 that has been calling my name for a long time. It needed to be perfect. This will be a part of my class that I am teaching this fall (sample) but I wanted to share it with you today.

Here is another layout I did this weekend.


The little cutie in the photo is me at the age of two. Just a "vintage" layout I did for a challenge.