Baby M

Here is a session I did back in August for a good friend of mine.

Break of Day

I am rarely up before the sunrises, but I am often asked by friends to feed their dogs by 6am while they are out of town. One particular day last week I took my camera with me in order to see if I could capture some good shots. Here's what I came up with...

Before the sunrise

Legacy

I am in one of those contemplative moods lately (it may have something to do with turning 30...) and have been thinking a lot about legacy. What will I leave behind when I go one day?

legacy: anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor (www.dictionary.com)

I was thinking about what people leave behind. For me, my mom left an amazing legacy of strength, kindness, loyalty, thoughtfulness, godliness...the list could go on and on. But what about the situations no legacy was passed down or the one that was left is not good? Does that mean that it is hopeless? Should a person give up on living (or not) living up to a legacy? What if they are left with an incredible legacy and yet they fail to carry it on. Is all hope lost?

It reminded me of a song by Nichole Nordeman called "Legacy"

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read,
Not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

I hope, like my mom, I can leave a legacy for my children. If nothing else, I want to point to Him.

What legacy will you leave behind?

30 HERE I COME!!

Today is my last day in my twenties. That's not the most positive way to think about it, but if I look at my belief that my thirties will be better than my twenties, it's really great. I am embarking on a new chapter!

I am so honored that my friends are throwing me a birthday bash which includes my sister et al and my dad coming down for the occasion (I'm totally stoked). I am so blessed to have such great friends.

Birthdays for me, however, always make me miss my mom. Fall does the same thing--it was one of her favorite seasons (and is mine as well). She was always the first one to call me on my birthday to wish me a happy birthday and my question to her was always "So how does it feel having your youngest turn --?" She would always say "Great!" Sometimes I hate that I miss her because it can be pretty painful. And yet I often go there because it is part of the healing process for me. Although I know I'll never get over it.

So in honor of my mom I say "How does it feel having your youngest turn 30?" I wish I could hear her answer.