I was reading some articles on the Internet the other day and ran across one about this beautiful blind Great Dane and her companion. It touched me in a way that I haven’t felt in a long time.
It made me stop and think – how fortunate we are to be able to see things through our own eyes. As photographers I know we say we see things differently than others. I would agree that is true for the most part. But what if for some unforeseen reason we lost our eyesight? How blessed we would be to find a companion that was as loyal to us as the companion Lille has found in Madison – another Great Dane – they are inseparable.
This animal has a ginormous heart. It makes me think – am I doing all I can to be a good and kind friend to those I love? Am I able to help others along my path in life? And can I and do I do it expecting nothing in return -simply knowing it is a good, noble and right thing to do?
This sweet little dog’s story made me take pause and really think about who I am and how I may have impact on others that I have the opportunity to meet in life.
Being a photographer provides me with more than the average amount of chances to reach out and help someone feel better about themselves.
Has anyone touched your heart lately?
Check out Lille’s story. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051780/Blind-Great-Dane-Lily-needs-home-space-HER-guide-dog-Maddison.html
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My son, Michael and I went out for lunch one day. As we pulled into a parking space he looked over to the side and saw this dog sitting in the drivers seat – seriously like he was ready to chauffeur “his people” around.
We laughed so hard we had tears coming down our cheeks and then as if on cue this happened…….
I nearly fell out of my seat. It was just one of those funny little things that – well – I guess you really just had to be there.
This lovely pouch was all decked out with her beautiful jeweled collar on and she sat there so majestic and poised. It was simply to good not to share.
We treat out pets like people (even I do) but when you see one that actually probably believes its a person its adorable. I’ll bet this pretty pup has been in lots of pictures with her family and I’ll bet she was the star of the show too – What do you think?
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Christmas miracles
While I think everyone expects to read happy memories about Christmas I also know many people struggle with this time of year. Emotions are high and we are often taken back to an earlier time in our lives when things we’re not always so happy.
I remember when I was a child, my mother was a “working mother”. That was a time when being a working mother was not a common thing at all. In fact most moms had the privilege of being a stay at home mom way back then. Well, not in our case. My mom worked and she worked all the time. Except Sundays 
.
I remember my mom working late one Christmas eve. I think I was about 7 years old. She was a hair stylist – back then known as a beautician. She stayed late to do 2 of her very best customers because they had a special event to attend on Christmas day. She also knew it would help pay for the few small gifts that she could afford to buy that year.
I had to stay with a friend of hers until she was done. I still remember to this day, sitting in a cold dimly lit room in a chair all curled up, looking at their Christmas tree lights. I also still remember the warm tears flowing down my cheeks because I missed my mother so much. Lordy, I was so lonely my heart ached.
I was never a selfish kid but I remember how important family always was to me and by golly Christmas was the one time of year that you should be spending with your family. For me that meant,my mother.
I fell asleep in that chair and woke up in my own bed with my mother gently rubbing my forehead. I remember her saying “honey , it’s time to get up now. Santa was here last night and apparently you have been a very good girl this year because he brought a special gift for a very special little girl”.
I also remember my reply to her – ” oh Mama, I know I’ve been very good because he brought me the best gift of all – he brought you back to me for Christmas morning – I missed you – and I love you so much. Nothing else matters”.
Sounds like a made up story doesn’t it? Well it’s as true as the day is long and my mother told that story many times over the course of my life.
While this may seem like a sad story, to me it is not sad at all. It reminds me of the miracle of Christmas because to that little girl so many years ago, having my Mama back with me was a miracle. My Christmas miracle.
Could we love our pets anymore? Not hardly. They know and we know they are a big part ofour family.
Whenever we ask someone if they want to have their pets in their portrait the first response is usually “on no, you don’t want to have to deal with them”. But, yes we do. We love to have pets in the image with you.
Cathy has to cats – one is 20 years old (still hangin’ in there) and the other in only 2 years old. She has portraits of each of them because they mean so much to her family.
Don’t hesitate to includ your pets in your photogrpahs. Whether its in a family image or one with just you children – you’ll cherish it forever.
All portraits in the month of October that include you pets will be eligible for a set of 10 custom created Christmas cards.
If you need a good groomer, give our friends at Chesapeake Bed and Bisquit a call. – they know how to pamper your pets.
But wait – if you call now we’ll increase your Christmas card set to 12 (gotta call before October 1 for this special offer)
Call 484-1777 – we’ll hook you up
Some things in life are just worth spending a little extra money on.
Somethings you just shouldn’t have to look for a bargain for.
Like Lasix eye surgery two for one. I also think there is a big
difference between Green Giant peas and the generic store brand.
There are times in life when it’s just worth going for the five star
hotel instead of the cheapest hotel you can find.
True story- many years ago while on vacation (hubby and I were quite
young) we opted to save the money and book the cheapest hotel we could
find in Florida. How bad could it be? We just needed a shower and a
bed for 2 nights .
From the outside it seemed nice enough. When we got our key and
entered the room- there was someone already in the bed – seriously
snoring his head off. We went back to the desk and asked for another
room (I insisted they come with us this time to open the door) upon
opening the door to a second room – the bed wasn’t made and the towels
were still on the floor in the bathroom. I may have understood that
room service hadn’t been there yet but it was 10:00 at night. So we
went for a third room – I really could not believe my eyes this time.
Not only was there someone in the room but they (a couple) were wide
awake and busy in the bed. They heard nothing – I was mortified ( I
think I was 22 years old) and from that day on i only made
reservations in a 5 star hotel.
Here’s another lesson I learned fairly early in life. I had an
opportunity to buy a car once that was newer than anything I had ever
driven in the past. I was so excited. We went to the little
neighborhood car lot and I picked out a beautiful Oldsmobile delta 88.
It was loaded with all the luxuries. I had never had anything so nice
before. And the price seemed too good to be true. We could actually
afford it. I had a brand new baby and we wanted a car with 4 doors for
obvious reasons and this seemed the perfect fit.
The very next next,baby in tow in the car seat, two cities away, as I
was coming off the exit ramp I to Newport News the transmission went
out. I mean it quit! Stopped dead in the road. Would not budge. On
the exit ramp. Just me and my one month old baby. It was December and
it was about 42 degrees out side. The deal was NO deal after all.
From that point on, I only bought cars from a “real” dealership.
What is the point in sharing these stories with you? And there is a
point by the way:).
Before I became a professional photographer, I took lots of pictures
of my baby boy. I even had some friends who loved to take pictures
photograph him for me. They were cute. Nice enough I suppose. I never
regretted having these candid, natural pictures taken of him. But when
I wanted something really special, something I wasn’t willing to risk
on a”deal” I took him to the “5 star equivalent” photographer in town.
In saved my money and I paid top dollar for my child’s portraits. To
this day I still have them on my walls. I recognized the difference.
I could distinguish true quality , timeless quality. I knew that was
something that even my son would appreciate when he grew up and had
children of his own.
My studio today is fashioned after those five star hotels. No
shortcuts. No cut rate prices that cause quality to be sacrificed.
Only the very best for our clients. We reinvest in our skill and
product and equipment so we can always provide the very best we have
to offer to our clients.
You’ll never open your box of images here and find someone else in
there . You’ll never feel like our images are merely good
snapshots. No, we strive to always provide you with true quality,
timeless quality from every experience with us. Wy not book your next
5 star experience with us today? You’ll be glad you did.
