Giving Thanks

Every year on Thanksgiving since I was a wee lass, our family gathers round a table set with the good dishes.  Before we can delve into the delectable roast turkey and savory dressing, my mother makes us say grace.  My brother, father and I hold the record for the fastest spoken Lord's Prayer which is not to say that we are heathens, merely hungry people who were kicked out of the kitchen, told to stay out of the food pantry (it will not ruin my appetite, Mom!) and forced to endure the intoxicating aroma of a feast baking for several hours.  My mother yields a turkey baster as a weapon, a trick she learned from her grandmother, so you see, we were nearly starved by the time the meal was ready.  My mother, a true sadist to the mind of a child, further delayed dinner by making us also take turns telling each other all the things that we are thankful for in our lives during the past year.  This was generally met with groans and eye rolling.  But my mother persevered and kept the tradition going every single year.  And each year, somehow, she managed to have something new to praise and give thanks over.

It wasn't until I became an adult in the throes of raising a family and building a career that I truly appreciated how important it is to reflect on the last year of my life and remember all that has happened... the good, the bad and the ugly.  My mother's tradition didn't just teach us to be thankful for the food on our table or the person sitting next to us.  It reminded us to look back at how much our lives have changed, what we survived and to always find joy in life, especially in the little things because in the end they're big things.

But my brother, the old man and I still race through the Lord's Prayer.

I am so very thankful to the many wonderful people that I have met and photographed this year.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives for a few hours, see the real you and create a beautiful photograph.  You have trusted me when I said, "hey, stand in those weeds 'cause it's pretty" or laid down in the dirt to get a cool shot.  I am overwhelmed by the wedding couples who have let me in, who let me witness and document one of the most emotional and intimate days of their lives.  I am absolutely ecstatic and grateful for the clients who received a large specialty print for their home because you are what makes a landscape or architectural shot a beautiful piece of art.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

2014 VHP clients will have one more chance to order from their portrait session.  Closed galleries will be pulled from the archives, reopened on Black Friday and remain open until December 25th with select products available to order.  Look for a 40% discount on digital file downloads just in time to create your holiday cards and special offers on large format and specialty art prints.