Precious Sweet Willa!

I don't know if photography has ever been a worshipful experience for anyone else, but when we did this session for nine day old Willa, I worshiped. This was an especially meaningful time for me, not just because this is my good friend's sweet child but because it was my first time to hold fresh life after my own devastating loss of our son nearly 2 years ago. I can feel the sweet balm of God's Spirit who has walked through the deep valley of death with me and the reality of the fullness and joy that He has given to me in my healing process. I trust that you will see the joy coming through as you look upon these images and celebrate with me what a joy fresh new life is!

A Gorgeous Family...

Just wanted to put up a few sneak peeks for the Wells family...what a wonderful group of people we got to work with!! :) What troopers as it got colder and colder outside! Amazing shots though! We are sure pleased!!

Zoe Children's Home--Rescuing!!

MyySara and Isabell are sisters ages 4 and 7. They were abandoned by their father, and for survival they were left on the streets selling flowers to strangers in bars. Their mother is an alcoholic, and with the probability of following in their older sisters footsteps of prostitution, they are Sara and Isabell are sisters ages 4 and 7. They were abandoned by their father, and for survival they were left on the streets selling flowers to strangers in bars. Their mother is an alcoholic, and with the probability of following in their older sisters footsteps of prostitution, they are the typical children of the streets where 9 out of 10 children are sold into prostitution. An urgent call came into ZOE one night that the girls needed a stable home or they would most likely be headed for a brothel. Even though at the time there was no room or financial means to rescue more children – we just could not say no. We made room for both girls. Because they are not truly orphans, it continues to be a challenge to keep them safe in our care and away from a life at risk... typical children of the streets where 9 out of 10 children are sold into prostitution. An urgent call came into ZOE one night that the girls needed a stable home or they would most likely be headed for a brothel. Even though at the time there was no room or financial means to rescue more children – we just could not say no. We made room for both girls. Because they are not truly orphans, it continues to be a challenge to keep them safe in our care and away from a life at risk...

This is the true story written on the Zoe Children's Home website. They are saving precious souls from a horrible life and giving them hope! I love to find organizations like this to support! Won't you go and read about their work too? www.zoechildrenshomes.org

Thanks Kim for introducing them to me! :)

The Shack--place of healing

Hey gang! You've gotta read this book!!!!! I just finished the last page this morning with my Cheerios and coffee and let me just say that it is WONDERFUL!! Having lost not just one child, but three, and although I have done intense grief work (I call it "work" because there is nothing fun about it) and have come to places of deep healing, this book really punctuated things I've discovered myself and certainly put new ideas for consideration in my mind. If you are human and you've faced any sort of tragedy or ever questioned why God would allow pain in the world, then you would be mesmerized by this book as well. It seems to me to be a lighthearted look at what things may really be like--a delightful eye opener. Go get a copy! It will do its best to blow the doors off your God-in-a-box that you may or may not realize you have. Healing is a mighty powerful thing, and in this world we live in, who doesn't need a huge dose of that???

The Start of a New Phase...

My girls have started school. They ride a big yellow, I pack their lunches, they come home hungry and they chatter at me for a good 1/2 hour when they return. Sound familiar? Well, to me it's all new. We've homeschooled in the past and this was a big step of obedience to put them in school!! To release them...to allow someone else to teach them. At their open houses I just kept looking around and thinking, yes, I could and have taught that...and that...but then the new thought came to me: but I don't have to.  So, I am trying to enjoy the freedom from hours of daily teaching. Time I now get to pour into my boy,  2 1/2, who has never yet had time with Momma alone like this. He treasures it, and so do I. 

That first day when they got on the bus, I was the typical Mommy who cried, hiding tears from the excited schoolers. We all wore dark sunglassses that day in the parking lot I think. What separated me from them were the noises I was making as I drove away from the bus stop which prompted Oliver to comfort me saying, 

"Oh Momma, it be okay! Dey will come back!" Yes, yes, pull yourself together! But again the next morning as we prayed about their second day I found myself blubbering again. They looked up at me with glossy eyes too--but the excitement I found there helped me quiet down. 

I've got a sched all worked out for which time slots I'll grocery shop in, scrub which toilet when and what time I'll sit down to process pictures. But what has been cool are the impromptu walks with Olly when he says, "Momma, can we go over 'dere and see dos twactors?" and I can say YES! When I stop everything I'm doing and we just sit in the rocker and read. When he and I get to do pushups together in the living room to my DVD's of P90X! (He'll be the buffest preschooler when it's his time!! Hmmmmm, if I don't decide to homeschool him!! :))

I'm getting used to a new phase of my life...and it's gonna be just fine.

Take a break---to the LAKE!!

We got to take about 4 days off this past week...our first time all summer to be away from our photography and Beachbody businesses! It was absolutely heavenly!! :)

What do photographers do while on vacation? Hmmm, I think you probably know! I'll post a few of my favorite pictures for your enjoyment. 

Our time away took us to the shores of Lake Erie at Lakeside, Ohio. We actually stay with my parents outside the gate technically in Marblehead which now gives me a stronger affinity for the Lake's only lighthouse.  To my delight, they opened the lighthouse this particular week and

 we got to go all the way up the 77 steps and peer out and D-O-W-N!! (This was my first ever experience with a fear of heights---which could be blamed on having my wiggly 2 1/2 year old up there with me and just one railing between us and sheer death! My mom tells this story of taking me on a ferris wheel when I was even younger and I was throwing a fit and tossing my body weight all over and she was terrified! We got to hear this story again while up there! Yeah, my mom's been there done that too!) If you look at that tighter image of the top of the lighthouse you will see me, my parents and Oliver up there and you may notice us waving! That was at my dad's prompting...if you look closer you'll see the terror in my eyes!! Whew!

We did lots of other fun things too! One of the best was visiting with my long lost brother and his sweet wife of three years. They've spent the past two years in Zambia, Africa doing ministry. I've sure missed them and really enjoyed getting to just relax in the same space. Truly I am blessed to not only have such a great brother but a really cool sister-in-love! :) Cheesy, I know.

But if you knew her, you'd love her too.

I've been blogging on and off now for a few months and I still am really nimwitted at it! I can't

 figure out how to put pictures down here...where I'm talking about them! You'll have to humor me and pretend I know what I'm doing and just go in search of the image I'm chatting about! K?

What a blessing to have this great Chatauqua nearby to "summer" at. (I think the term "summer" can be used even if one only went for 3 1/2 days...don't you????) If you don't know the term chatauqua, don't worry, I've been going for some 25 years now and I don't really know either! Basically Lakeside is just a great family place to be where kids can ride their bikes safely in the streets (entrance is by paid ticket and cars are charged to be in the gated area), you can play in the sand, swim off the pier and the shops still sell penny candy. My girls' first sailing lessons were free and we ran into an old neighbor of my parents and talked the afternoon away. Lots of great Toft's brand ice cream, kites, shuffleboard (free of course!) and fun shopping and good coffee. What's not to love? Heck, even my cousin got married there a few years back! You ought to consider planning to go yourself some year! (Hey! I'm not even on their advertising campaign!!)

Well, time for another fun last summer moment: church picnic in the park! I hope to write more again! Oh, the dwindling days of summer....where do they go??????

Miracle baby

We had a special afternoon treat yesterday! We were privileged to do a session with baby Will who was born at 26 weeks--weighing only 1 pound! Today he is a healthy 15 pound 10 month old! What a miracle! Truly he is a celebration of life! I love his sweet little fingers and this flower! And who can resist baby bubbles?? :) This little guy is our neighbor's grandson so we hope to get to see him often! :)

I Can't Resist...

I simply cannot resist posting just a few more images from this past shoot!! I've been having so much fun oohing and ahhing over them...I thought maybe you might too!

I keep saying, "Oh this one is my favorite!!" and then I play around with another and declare it my favorite!!

Can you get enough of a boy who is so mesmerized by his daisy that his wee tiny pinky finger goes in the air?!?! LOVE IT!!!!

Soon the whole pack of images will be available...it's looking like there are going to be between 60-75 images to choose from ! People always complain, "There are soooo many good ones...how will I ever choose?!?!?" I just smile. I did my job well.

Sneak Peek at Our Treat!

We had the phenomenal privilege of being asked to photograph Brian's family on his grandparents' farm this week! This was a Father's Day gift to his dad. We are so excited with the images we came away with after our session on the hill and down the lane! We froze timeless childhood moments as the kids played on the tractor, ran down the hill and picked daisies. Did they even realize there was a camera nearby? Well, maybe. But for the most part it was all play! We also caught the 4 generations of Shaw men/boys all gathered around the tractor. Our own Olly declared later after mowing pasture that he's going to grow up and be a farmer! What could make a Shaw man happier??? Maybe nothing than these portraits preserving moments in time forever.

They are not free...

I have this sense from deep in my soul that God is about to do something big...a holy shaking deep within. I'm not sure yet, but I have a growing sense that it involves rescuing women and children. Ever since we saw the documentary "Born in Brothels" in 2005, I have ached deep in my innermost part for children who grow up in situations without any hope. For women and children who are forced into slavery completely against their own will. In the words of Erwin McManus, I feel my soul knows something long before my head can catch up---a sense that God is going to use me to help set these people free. How will I do that from my small town in NW Ohio? I have no clue. But I serve a GREAT BIG GOD who has a perfect plan and I trust Him to work out the details.

For years I have felt so deeply moved by many, many passages in Isaiah. This morning this leapt off the page to me:

 "To all who mourn in Israel, He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory!"   ~Isaiah 61:3

Then I asked myself, "who are the ones that are going to be called strong and graceful?" And I was amazed at the answer: those who are mourning. Those who are crying out from among their ashes. Those who are in complete despair. Are these not the cries of the children hiding under the floor boards in the whore houses in Calcutta, India? Are these not the children forced into slave labor to make chocolate in Cote d'Ivoire? And what does the Lord say He will do for them? Look and see! He is going to make an incredible exchange: swap their ashes for beauty! Their despair for JOY!! Can they right now in this present moment even fathom that someone cares? That someone far far away is burdened for their plight to the point of tears in her comfy home and safe environment as she types a blog entry? That the God of Heaven has heard their cries of desperation and that He is raising up a family to do something?? Most likely not. But I do ache so deeply in my heart that they will somehow have hope and not give up. That they will endure long enough to see the deliverance that their Maker will provide. That they will indeed be the fulfillment of this verse and become STRONG and GRACEFUL oaks that will be sources of light and radiance and HOPE for the world and will give their Rescuer glory!!!

There are many simple ways to get involved in saving these men, women and children who are sold into slavery across the world. (One every 30 seconds!!!) Go to their website: stopthetraffik.org and sign a petition. Read and educate yourself on the plight of those around the world and in our own country who are forced into sexual slavery and tireless hours in horrifying conditions working in sweatshops. Print out the chocolate coupons and turn them in to the store where you buy chocolate. Help educate people around you about where your chocolate comes from. Rent the movie "Born in Brothels" and open your eyes to the realities that are going on in India. See if God doesn't break your heart too so we are a force to help stop this horrible trafficking of people. We can be like the single voice of Telemachus in the 5th century who stopped the horrifying Gladiator deaths in Rome. We can together cry out to the world in his words, "STOP! In the name of Jesus, STOP!" 

A purpose

It's mid-day, hot and I'm scrubbing the faces of my cupboards. We've been fighting ants for 3 weeks now and I think maybe--finally--we are going to see some progress! We put out some new poison that makes them come to drink it like zebras lining up around a pond in the Kalahari!! As I scrub, my mind goes over the conversation I just had with Brian on the phone. He's in the car, driving to another farm, and pondering deep questions.

"What will be left after everyone is gone?" "Am I worrying too much and will I come to the end of my life with nothing more than some money in the bank and knowing I provided for my family? Is that enough?"  "Am I investing in people?" He said if he plays out some of the choices he's been making lately he is going to end up like Warren Schmidt in the movie we began watching last night, "About Schmidt." Warren lived his life like everyone else: he went to work, dreamed of becoming someone others respected, had a wife that he seemed to tolerate, and treasured his adult daughter's childhood memories. The movie begins with his retirement party--and he has no idea what might be ahead of him in this space that he's always filled with work. His wife dies suddenly and his now adult daughter is engaged to a man he refuses to get to know but decides is not good enough for her. We stopped the movie at this point (to go to bed)  and it has left us really wondering if we are living with purpose and if we are leaving a positive example and a legacy of serving God or if we'll be just another blurb in the paper and be left to rot in the ground. 

I believe that understanding our purpose in life (given to us by God, I don't think we can self-assign them!) will help not only direct our moments now but also shape our future when what we've always counted on is then but a memory. I wonder on this as I think of my grandmother who lived some 30 years beyond her husband. Of all who bear the title "widow" or "widower" or who have no earthly family left. There is a biker man in my Faith Family who is learning that his days are of value in spite of no family to live for, no relatives left to visit. He is learning to share and become connected with the people in our church and really seems to get it that we are truly a family of God.

So as I clean on this late spring day, trying to keep up with the needs of a house, hungry children, a dog, and  a mental to do list that will never get finished  I ask myself, "Am I living with purpose?" "Does what I spend my time on make a lasting impression on history?" I am convinced the way to invest my life is in people. I do have to clean. But when I realize that I am cleaning for these little people to have a safe, clean and healthy environment to grow up in--not to mention invite the neighbor kids in--then I realize yes, this too has a lasting purpose. 

Do all my tasks have purpose? What about yours? People live their lives so drastically different from one another--we must each ask ourselves this question. Do we just want to make it through our lives, droning out the days or do we want to come sliding into heaven with our hair a great mess and squealing, "WOW! Lord! Was that ever a great ride! Whew!!!"* I want to be totally spent and used up when I begin my everafter! O Lord, may we all live with great purpose!! 

*This is loosely quoted from Beth Moore, I'm not even sure from where, but it made an impression on me!

The muse can't read a clock

Well, it's 2:45 am and I'm back at the computer after waking up with images of these boys at the farm in my mind. No telling when the muse will land! I just HAD to get up and try out some of my brainstorms! So here I am, now wanting to show a sneak peak at another favorite shot because I got it just perfect! :)

We are in the process of doing so many things right now. We are transforming our homeschool room into a client show room, I updated our website (this took me hours yesterday), I am brainstorming ideas for how to decorate our daughters' room (that old carpet simply must come up!) and we are trying to learn to use a new online showroom for our clients as well as learning to blog! Fortunately blogging is the easiest of all of them!

The push for Father's Day creates a bit of a backlog in our processing so I'm doing all I can to get people's orders in and through! And that means being up in the middle of the night! Yesterday we enjoyed the "Dog Birthday Party" thrown by our 8 and 6 year old girls on behalf of our puppy reaching adulthood. I can't wait to download those pictures...and if you're lucky you may just get a peak at those too! :)

Fun at the farm with W & B!

Yesterday we had the fine privilege of shooting on location at a farm in Northwest Ohio. Two amazing brothers...one a sparkling blue-eyed blond and the other a chocolate-eyed brunette! What a lucky mom! I was so blessed to do this session with them because I got to meet the boys great grandfather! He is an incredible man, it was clear from the moment we met. These boys are especially blessed to be the only grandchildren for both sets of their grandparents!! Great Grandpa got out his Farmall for the boys to play on and we took some great shots and created a plethora of fabulous images! I wanted to share a few of my favs before I turn into a pumpkin!!