Ordinary Wonderment

Love, Pure & Simple

What I've Learned: God Gives Us Teammates for a Reason.
This post is just a little thank you note, dear Reader, to the four wonderful families who took time out of their hectic lives last month to pose for portraits.  Pastor Jim spoke about overcoming the fear of failure at my church recently.  One of the points he made was that when we face a challenge that we fear is more than we can handle, we should ask God to give us teammates--people with whom we can share our burdens.

I needed more portrait practice before tackling my first wedding this fall, so I put out the word that I needed families to photograph.  These lovely families graciously agreed to get all gorgeous and put on their best smiles to help me out.  The results of those four shoots were nothing less than my best work to date. 

Who can resist that face?

The shoots went beautifully (whether we had rain or sunshine!) and after editing each batch, I excitedly presented the families with the best of their images.  Fortunately, all seemed to be as pleased with them as I was.  What a great opportunity to use my lens to show them how beautiful they are!   

A Life Lived for God

But the echoes of this experience didn't stop there.  This endeavor also blessed me with two renewed friendships and the forging of a third new acquaintance.  Have to admit, I'm amazed at the ways God works in all of our lives--the simple way he takes an act of kindness and turns it into a way to serve others while strengthening His kingdom.  He even made it possible for Brother & I to work together on this project and spend some quality time.  All that and I got to be creative too!  Just goes to show, God knows just what we need and exactly how to weave it all together.

A Girl & Her Horse

So, thank you, my dear friends for your kind generosity.  Thank you for sharing your families with me and for letting me capture a hint of who you are.  Thank you for cheering me on as I tackle the next challenge: a wonderful and love-filled wedding.  Your help has meant more than you know.