Mom would be so proud. If she actually knew what blogging was.....
So now one would think that the most logical first post on a wedding photographer's blog would be wedding related or at least a gorgeous photograph of a baby or a flower. Patience friends. I will post plenty of weddings, babies, and even a few flowers. However, my first wedding is April 1o. So this opens the door to share personal work. Upon moving recently to South Portland I began to volunteer for The Telling Room. Their mission is something I whole heartedly support. They are dedicated to nurturing creative expression in young adults by providing workshops in storytelling, utilizing writing, photography, music, theatre, and film. They had such a workshop at Portland High School for a English Language Learning class. This was a storytelling workshop expressed through writing. I was asked to come to the second half of the workshop and photograph the kids reading their stories. I am not sure why I find myself so utterly surprised at how compelling and inspiring these kid's stories were. The young persons in this class were from all over the world and have already seen their fair share of war, tragedy, and heart break. Yet so many of their stories were about gratitude. They wrote about the simple joy helping prepare a meal with their parents or enjoying the food that their mother had prepared for them. I noticed a genuine sense of appreciation from these teenagers and I was immediately humbled. How blessed am I. I have so much to be thankful for. Not only do I have amazingly supportive friends and family, but I have a career of which I am passionate about. I have a roof over my head, good food to eat, and I don't have to be worried about speaking my mind and fear that I will be tortured or killed for my beliefs. I do my due diligence not to not take what I have for granted, but I get busy with life and before I know it, I find myself complaining about this, that, and the other. It is good to be reminded to give thanks and be grateful. So it is with that thought I end this post.
Blessings upon you,
Sara
