I feel blessed and privileged in my work. I continually am amazed at the stories I hear and the journeys I get to photograph. I often sit back and say “wow”. This session was another one that made me say “wow”. It brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face at the same time.
I don’t care how poor a man is; if he has family, he’s rich. ~Dan Wilcox
The Rains are a rich family.
When Audrey and I spoke on the phone, she told me she wanted portraits now and portraits again in six months. She went on to share that she and her children have revamped their entire life and because of this, they have lost an astronomical amount of weight together! She wanted to document their weight loss journey so far, and she wanted to come back in six months and record it again. I jumped at the chance to provide this family with images that could showcase their success!
During their session, Audrey, Cindy and Patrick began to share more of their journey with me. They have recently lost the man that made their family unit complete – husband and father, Art. I was touched by their determination, strength and their ability to celebrate the life Art had with them. Audrey told me they had made a list with Art of things he wanted for them before he had to leave them. She said they finished everything on the list but one thing – a photograph of them together towards the end of Art’s battle with cancer. I have volunteered with hospice to do just this and I am sorry that my own journey did not bring me here in time to do this for them.
Congratulations Audrey, Cindy and Patrick on your weight loss. I am looking forward to photographing less of you in six months! Thank you for being a family that is so rich it brought a smile to my face and thank you for allowing me to share in your journey and document it for you.
To my blog readers – please join me in celebrating their success by leaving a note of encouragement to this family. They deserve it!
What has become a Dragon Hare signature image!
