What a Year!!!

Talk about uncertainty, things changing, and going where we haven’t been before as a country – but I’m mostly an optimist (if for no other reason than self preservation and whatever sanity I have left…) and I think we as a country will come out of all of this stronger and more focused, at least I hope so.

I think during these turbulent times, it’s especially important to be thankful – I’m so thankful for my clients who placed (and continue to place) their trust and faith in me. I’m also thankful for the partners and networking colleagues I’ve made along the way – I continue to learn from their insight and experiences, and hopefully help them by sharing mine.

I’m also thankful that I have the opportunity to give back – from donating silent auction items for a number of non-profit organizations, to my volunteer work for The Jimmy Fund, and of course my ongoing work for Portraits for Patriots. I meet some amazing people and have the opportunity to have a positive impact on their lives – it doesn’t get any better than that.

I’m particularly thankful to have the opportunity to do what I do – I still get a thrill when I see images pop up on my computer as I’m shooting, and seeing the smile on the person’s face when they see an image they like. Many people who get in front of my camera never have liked how they look in photographs, and have a negative view of their appearance. If when they leave, that perception changes and they feel better about themselves and how they look, have a spring in their step – that’s a win for me. I’m often reminded of a client session from several years ago where the person said their parents don’t have any pictures of the person smiling – at the end of the session, we had several images. The person later shared with me that when his/her parents saw the images, they cried. I still get goosebumps just writing about this.

Finally, I’m thankful for my friends and family and their ongoing support – you help to keep me focused on the important things in life – health, peace and prosperity.