Be Inspired Too

This week I have a few stories to share with you, may you be inspired to do something for someone else….here is one of them.

This story begins years ago when I met Liz at my cousin’s wedding, Liz contacted me a year later at the birth of her little girl, and I’ve been photographing her child ever since (she is now 18 months-see blog soon to come). One day Liz mentioned a man she knew, Jeff, had been diagnosed with cancer. She wanted to do something special for him, something to lift his spirits. So this past March she asked if I’d be on board to photography his three children, two of them with special needs, as a gift at no cost for Jeff. I didn’t hesitate and booked a session for the three children. Liz cut and styled their hair, cheered them on in the session and I worked with them  from behind the camera. Kendall stepped in to make a beautiful gift for Jeff by presenting the family with a framed product of the kids, ready to hang and cherish in his hospital room.

Yesterday morning I met with Liz again, to photograph her child in the park. Before she drove away after the session ended, she informed me that Jeff’s cancer has spread throughout his entire body. He was told that the cancer was incurable. Jeff isn’t even 40 years old and he is dying. Liz thanked me again for the photo shoot we had done for him and his children. She said it was a blessing to Jeff to have those portraits.

As Liz drove away I turned on the radio to hear a song with these lyrics ” I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me…I want to leave an offering” and for what began as a normal Friday morning, I was moved to silent tears as I thought about what Jeff’s family is going through. Daily I forget how we can impact others, by simply doing what we do, by sharing my talent at no cost to others, I know a man had one better day.

I’ve never met Jeff, I doubt I may ever meet him, but his children touched my heart. I don’t ever want to miss the chance to help someone, you never know if it is your last chance to change that life. Do something big, or little for someone else.

Here are a few images we presented to Jeff, Back in March