Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we feature 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this week comes from Creative Team member Michelle Wooderson.
My 5 favorite photos are of the wonderful, fresh produce that came from our garden this Summer. Living in a small farm community means that a harvest of any sorts is a big deal. Whether it be the bushels of corn that comes from my dad’s big fields or the green beans and peppers that are picked daily out of our gardens, a good harvest is worth celebrating.
Fall is here now. The leaves have all changed colors and the trees are almost bare. Mother Nature is preparing the earth for it’s long winter’s nap. Each time I come across these colorful photos I am reminded of the hot Summer we had this year and how each and every garden picking was such a blessing. There is nothing more rewarding than planting a garden in the Spring, seeing those first seedlings sprout and then enjoying the fresh vegetables every night at the dinner table. Coming from a long generation of women who like to can foods, I am especially fond of the photo of my freshly canned jars of salsa. This photo takes me right back into the hot kitchen, with large pots of boiling water, my family sitting around the table cutting up vegetables and my mom and I in our aprons. Having photos that evoke these kinds of memories is really the reason why I take photos and preserve them in my scrapbooks.As the seasons change quickly it seems, these types of photos have to be taken just at the right moment. If you have seasonal memories you want to capture, don’t wait too long. Capture those veggies when they are at their peak of ripeness, take a photo of your favorite flowers while they are in full bloom, snap a photo of the beautiful leaves on the trees before they are gone.
Looking ahead to the holiday season, these moments will pass quickly also. We seem to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, but don’t forget to pick up the camera. Be sure to capture that glistening turkey on the dinner table, the first time you light a crackling fire, the sunset over the lake, that first snowfall with your kids making snow angels. It may not seem so unimportant right now because we can remember these short term happenings. But as the years go by we will be so happy we have these photos.
…..You can learn more about Michelle here + check out more of her photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
The fabulous Kelly Carothers (The Lillypad) has teamed up with some wonderful designers to create a digital collab in honor of my brother, Jonathan. Today he would have turned 43 years old, by the way. Beginning today through November 5, you can purchase her wonderful collection and she has generously offered to donate 100% of the proceeds to my brother’s family. She has so appropriately named this collection Thankful for you. Just click below to learn a little more.
Okay – now. What are you feeling? Pay attention to what you are feeling.
If this little video makes you want to subscribe to Seeing the Everyday, then great. Mission accomplished. I’m sure they’ll be happy to know that. Without a doubt – I whole-heartedly LOVE this publication as one of my all-time favorites. Ever, ever, ever. And I think you’d enjoy it too, times a million.
But if that’s all you’re feeling, you missed something. I doubt that’s all you’re feeling right now. Right?
Perhaps you’re feeling something you need to change about your role in a particular relationship. Perhaps you feel prompted to write a note to your parents. Maybe you are motivated to pick up your camera more and capture everyday-ness in your life. Maybe you got the feeling you need to be staring at this monitor less and get on the floor (or at the sink) with your children. Or maybe you are feeling reminiscent to a time in your younger years or when your babies were … babies.
Pay attention to that feeling. Absorb it. And then … act on that prompting you feel. That prompting to do something. To stop doing something. To say something. It’s going to be personal for each of us. Isn’t that beautiful?
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we feature 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this week comes from Creative Team member Sheri Horton. Here are some of her favorite tips-in her own words.
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I have always loved photos, but it wasn’t until the birth of my first daughter that I truly became interested in photography. I was happily taking lots of photos and documenting our story. I was doing okay and felt I was capturing all the important things. Then in 2009, after the birth of my second daughter I decided to do photo-a-day. What a life changing experience! It made me realize that up until that point I wasn’t documenting life at all like I should be! It was during that year that I truly fell in love with documenting the everyday moments. I saw the world through my lens in a whole new way! It was no longer about getting that perfect shot, even though I still like to try, but it was about capturing our life as a family.
I know a lot of people say they are capturing their life as a family, but a lot of times I think they forget that they are a part of the family too! It’s so very important that as a mother, you are in the photos!! It does not matter how you look or how you feel about yourself, it’s about leaving a lasting memory for your children. My girls love to see photos of us together. When I say us, I mean them with me and them with their Dad, and even better, they love seeing photos of us as a family. I don’t have a single photo of me as a child with my Mom. It’s not her fault there are no photos, it’s just not something she thought about at the time. Plus, she’ll be the first to admit she doesn’t like having her photo taken. I don’t think most people do when it comes to looking right at the camera and smiling. But those aren’t the pictures I wish I had of us together. The ones I wish I had are the ones where we’re interacting, playing and just being us. Now, I have those photos of her with my girls, which they also love to see. I don’t think she has ever thought about it or given it a second thought, but for me as a mother with two little girls of my own, it’s something I think about all the time! I try my best to ensure that I am in at least one photo a week! You’ve heard it before, but I am here to tell you again…it is important to your kids to have photos of you with them and photos of just you by yourself! Kids like seeing photos of their parents!
There are countless ways you can ensure you’re present in your photos. I am sure you’re well aware of all the ways, but if not, here are some suggestions:
Hand over your camera to someone else.Yikes!! I know this is hard to do, but do it! I even let my girls who are 3 and 6 years old take pictures!
Self-timer. Most cameras have them and they are so easy to use. I use mine at least once a week!
Remote. Mine was less than $20. I used it for the first time last fall when I did our own family photo session! Call me crazy, but it worked and I got some amazing family photos!
Self-portrait. We’ve all done it at some point. It’s where you turn the camera around and point it at yourself! I think most teenagers these days have perfected this shot!
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My girls like tea parties (I think most little girls do)! So when my oldest wanted to have a tea party for her Lalaloopy doll, I said sure and went all out and set up the table, made tea and cookies! I took lots of pictures of them, but eventually I handed the camera over to husband and asked him to take some pictures of me serving the girls tea. I will admit, it’s hard for me to hand control over to him! I sometimes get frustrated that he doesn’t think to take the camera and take pictures of me with them and that I always have to ask. But you know what? He never says no, so I will continue to ask. Maybe one day he’ll surprise me and just do it, but even if he doesn’t, that’s okay. And if I am being honest, I also have to let go of the fact that he is not me and his photos, no matter how much I coach him, will not look like mine! But like I said, that’s okay, because at least he is willing and does his best! I would do anything to have a picture of the little cakes my Mom use to bake for my tea parties with my three brothers and of her serving it to us!
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Like many of you, I enjoy doing crafts with my kids. I am sure you have lots of pictures of your kids doing the craft, but what about you sitting there doing a craft of your own or you helping them? This is when the self-timer on your camera comes in handy! I usually find a pile of books to set my camera on, line up the shot and then run to get in the photo. Sometimes I’ll have to do it a couple times to get it just right, but more often I get it with the first try! The key is to not look at the camera and make the picture appear natural. That’s not always easy with little ones. My youngest always wants to look! That’s okay too…just as long as you capture the moment, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
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This photo melts my heart. My girls and I are looking at the 2011 photo-a-day book I created. Every so often the girls ask to look at the books or albums I have created. I love that they ask and I am always more than willing to sit down and flip through the books with them. For this shot, I set my camera on the floor and again used my self-timer. I love that by having this perspective, you truly get a sense of us being engaged in looking at the book. I also have to mention this…you’ll notice I am wearing what I call my comfy clothes, a pair of jogging pants and sweater. I wouldn’t go to the grocery store wearing this, but I will photograph myself in it and share it with the world! LOL So like I said earlier, it doesn’t matter how you look, get in those photos!!
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When it comes to my husband, he’ll say he’s not in very many photos with the girls, when in actuality he’s in a LOT of photos with them! He’s in some of the really amazing shots I’ve taken! He’s also in a lot of the everyday photos with them. If I find them engaged doing something together I will always run to get my camera. Like this time, when I saw him on his Playbook and our youngest with her blankie sitting on him and then our oldest sitting beside them playing on the iPod. I didn’t take the photo straight on, I got up on my tippy toes and angled my camera downwards. I like this perspective and take a lot of photos this way.
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There is nothing better then capturing a family in their element, doing an everyday activity, like having dinner! For this shot, we were enjoying our first dinner outside for the summer season. The sun was actually starting to set (my favorite time to photograph, as I am sure it is for a lot of you….that golden hour) so I decided why not take a picture! For this one, I set my camera on the ledge of our gazebo and again used my trusty self-timer.
When I look through all the photos I’ve taken this year, the photos of me with my girls and of us as a family are what inspire me and make me appreciate this project even more! I encourage you to make an effort to be present in your photos with your family.
You can learn more about Sheri here + check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we feature 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this week comes from Creative Team member MaryAnn Perry. Here are some of her favorite tips – in her own words.
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Don’t stay in one spot when you take your pictures. Move around and get creative! Challenge yourself to take photos from different angles. By changing the angle in which you take the photo you can change the emotion and feel of the photograph.
When I took this photo I was actually sitting on the floor with my camera tilted upward to get the shot. I wanted to catch the girls looking at their daddy in awe as he told them about his job as a firefighter. The angle of the photo highlighted the emotion on the girl’s faces and emphasized the size contrast between my husband and girls.
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This was a totally random photo I took. I love handwritten notes and letters. I love to write and receive them. I get excited EVERY DAY to go to the mailbox. I know you can email and I know you can email pictures, but there is just something so much more fun about getting them in the mail. I think it is important to include photos of things we do within our everyday lives. We can make it different or more interesting by changing the angle in which we take the photo. In this photo I used a wide-angle lens and got in close to take the picture.
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Include pictures of your loved ones’ favorite hobbies. My husband plays the guitar and we love to hear him play. He is good for the short time that he has been playing and the girls and I recently surprised him with a new guitar. I wanted a photo of him playing… not something posed. For this photo I was on my knees, and had the lens focused on his front hand playing, so when I took the photo the rest of his body blurred slightly.
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This photo is from a pit stop during a recent road trip. The photo was taken at an angle just above my chest… is that technical…. hmmm well I was on my tippy toes…. to get the shot… my husband is really tall. But my point with this photo… is it’s an everyday shot but it tells a lot about my husband and me… It’s our favorite splurge snacks… only the ones reserved for a vacation splurge… that’s important and needs to be documented!
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Get down on their level. This photo was taken of my daughter early in the morning while she was playing with her train set. I was sitting on the ground on the same level that she was playing. This angle allowed me to let her play and still get the picture I wanted…. her playing trains. no cheesy posed shots… a simple reflection of our morning together…
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You can learn more about MaryAnn here + check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
The week-long celebration continues! Today I invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy a short video that is less than 5 minutes long … and that has nothing to do with Project Life. Today we’re talking home decor and DIY and I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at our “memory niche” in the kitchen of our home.
A few things to point out that I didn’t really cover in the video:
1. PHOTOS: WHAT’S ROTATING? On a typical day, you’d see everyday family pictures rotating on these TVs in our kitchen. During the holidays we usually have photos of that particular season from past years rotating. And of course for special events, we cater to the occasion. In the video, there were just a few rotating photos of the kids because we just had a combo birthday party for Claire, Crew, and our dog Oreo a few days ago. Just a few weeks ago we had a bunch of silly photos of our friend Allison as we hosted her 30th birthday bash at our house. Last year we hosted a friend’s 40th surprise party and his family dug up all sorts of old photos of him that we displayed. When visitors come to stay with us, we usually try to sneak a few pictures of them in the rotation. We constantly mix it up.
2. WIRES: WHERE DO THEY GO? Well, they plug into the wall. Go figure. We put a power outlet behind the “door” so there were no wires hanging out anywhere. Nice and tidy. The third wire is actually a cable wire – in case David did decide one day to have a game playing in the kitchen. I haven’t caught that vision yet, but I suppose it’s not completely out of the question.
3. JOHN: HOW CAN YOU HIRE HIM? Now obviously I don’t expect most of you to take on a project like this. But … I also know that a few of you will likely be interested in doing something similar in your home. If you happen to live in Arizona and happen to need any woodwork done, John Broderick is the man. He is genius with anything wood and has done a few amazing projects for us. bbfurn@juno.com | 623.566.2232. I’m sharing this with you like I would share a great resource with any friend. Not because John asked me to say anything but because he is just so darn talented.
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{ 3 random testimonials about project life}
If I could describe Project Life in one word it would be SIMPLE. I love the fact that all I have to do is snap a pic, print it out & journal. I will never be one of those people who says “Gosh, I’m so behind on my scrapbooking…” Project Life has allowed me to enjoy the creative aspect of traditional scrapbooking, but with no more stress! -Carolyn Farnsworth
I loved the idea of taking a picture everyday and documenting daily life. I decided to do this as a way to show my husband what the year was like for us while he is deployed. It will be great to have this album as a way for us to look back at what we did while he was away. There is no way I would take on a project like this without the Project Life system. It is so beautiful and makes it so simple. Thank you for such a great product! -Cassandra Wiscarson
I love it!! I love how simple it is. I love how it can be used in a million different ways! I love how my family can get involved… grab a journaling card and add a piece of them! I love how I don’t have to think about making it “look great” because it already does! I love how it makes me think of those little moments to capture… instead of ‘just’ those big events! But most of all… you said it perfectly… it’s my story… my way. I love it!! -Nicole V
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we feature 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this week comes from Creative Team member Deb Duty. In her own words …
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Here are some recent favorites (and one not so recent) of a variety of different kinds of images that I like to capture.
Capture the details. I did take a photo of my son enjoying his snowball this day too, but I also wanted to remember just how yummy it looked up close.
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Capture relationships. On this day when I dropped my boys off at carpool, I documented how my older son always waits for his brother to grab his stuff so they can walk together. This makes me happy and I’m so glad I captured this moment last year because now my son is driving to school so my carpool days are already over.
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Capture the emotion. We totally surprised my in-laws with a 50th anniversary party. They asked me to take a picture of them by the cake, but my favorite was the one I snapped right after as they laughed and shared a moment with each other in disbelief.
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Capture the amazing world around you. I enjoy taking pictures on my walks of flowers or trees or whatever I find interesting… like the day I saw a perfectly shaped bunny cloud in the sky from my driveway.
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Capture the stories you want to remember. My mom took this photo in 1959 of the very first meal she prepared after she and my dad were married. She became a fabulous cook so I was always amused when I would look through her photos and see that their first meal was fish sticks, butter beans and loaf bread! My parents took very few photos when they were first married and almost none that didn’t include people. But for this one, she was ahead of her time… capturing a Project Life everyday kind of photo.
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You can learn more about Deb here + check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we are featuring 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this weeks comes from Creative Team member Jennifer Woodbury.
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Like many moms, I became really interested in photography after the birth of my first child. I spent countless hours taking pictures (lots and lots of pictures), learning the ins and outs of my camera, and figuring out the fundamentals of photography. My skills improved and eventually I had countless lovely portrait-style photos of my oldest daughter. But then I realized something…those photos sort of bored me. Of course, there is definitely a time and place for beautiful portraits and the usual pictures of everyone smiling for the camera, but they start to become repetitive after awhile if those are the only photos you’re taking.
Once I made that realization, my focus shifter from just taking pretty pictures to taking photos that told more of a story about my daughter’s – and my family’s – personality, interest, and everyday life. It’s one of the main reasons I decided to take on a photo a day project back in 2008 (and then repeated it in 2009 & 2011). And through that process I realized that the photos I love the most don’t have to be “technically” perfect to be meaningful.
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Plan ahead and don’t forget to include yourself. Even if you are trying to capture a candid moment, sometimes it takes a little forethought. I often have a running mental list of photos I want to take; meaningful rituals (however big or small) that are part of our family life right now that I don’t want to forget. I knew I somehow wanted to document our tradition of having a family hug each night, so I made a point of bringing my camera upstairs for bedtime one evening. I just placed it on the dresser and took some photos using my remote. I highly recommend getting a remote control for your camera if you can. They are usually relatively cheap (I bought mine for just around $20) and it makes is so much easier to get yourself in a shot. Of course, don’t limit yourself by whatever piece of equipment you don’t have. The camera timer is not quite as convenient but is always an option too!
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Document relationships. With kids especially, this can take a lot of patience. When I see my kids interacting together, I will often grab my camera and try to take a photo without them even noticing I’m there. A lot of the time, it doesn’t work. It that’s the case, I usually just sit near them and wait for them to relax and forget about me and my camera. More often than not, my patience pays off.
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Don’t just take photos of the important people in your life, take pictures of the things that are important to them as well. And if you can get both the person and the thing together, even better! I love that this photo not only tells the story of my middle daughter’s loved and well worn blanket, but it also documents the fact that she can fall asleep absolutely anywhere.
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Think about the bigger picture. When taking a picture of an everyday activity, I try to take pictures from several different perspectives until I figure out which one tells my story best. I zoom out, zoom in, or try shooting from a different angle. When I first tried to capture my then first grade daughter doing her homework after school, I zoomed in tightly on her. But when I zoomed out I realized that I was capturing a much more complete story filled with all the distractions that two little sisters have to offer (a craft project on one side and a car being driven – with sound affects – on the other side).
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If you want a smile, try to make it a natural one. At the end of the day, sometimes I just want a cute picture of one of my girls. But I still want them to look like themselves. Whenever I ask them to smile for the camera I always end up getting the most bizarre expressions instead, so I’ve found that taking a photo while they are doing something they truly enjoy helps a lot in getting a genuine smile on camera. And if all else fails, underwear jokes always seem to do the trick. I’m not above much when it comes to getting a great photo!
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You can learn more about Jennifer here, and check more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
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{ featured sponsors }
Origami Owl is donating 25% of their sales to Jonathan’s family – thank you!
Most of you know that I’ve been heavily involved in the content development for my first-ever online class. What a thrill to hear about so many of you that are already registered!
Just in case this is news to you – you can read all about my class HERE. So much heart & soul is being poured into each week’s content. I’m truly being persnickety (my new favorite word) about the details of what I share with students. I’m doing slide show presentations + videos + pulling together more tips + tricks than I ever have since my days of publishing books. It is so much work and so much fun.
I feel deeply that this class will be greatly beneficial to my students – whether you’re brand-new to memory-keeping, or you’re a dedicated Project Lifer with albums full of memories. Whether you want to roll up your sleeves and accomplish a LOT of stuff in your life (inside + outside of the album) … or if want to sit back and just watch + read what I’m sharing.
For example, my current work at the moment is a video tour of just about every organizational spot – in just about every room – in our home. You’ll even get to see my junk drawers and other stuff that’s not so organized. You’ll either watch just to watch … or you’ll watch and get to work on sprucing up some organization in your own home. Do what you want. Don’t do what you don’t want to do.
Be sure to consult my big Q+A post if you have questions about Project Real Life. Super packed with helpful info.
One really fun thing about my class is that we’ve designed a set of Project Life cards to go in your Project Life album for our 12 weeks together – 4×6 Title Cards and 3×4 Quote Cards. All double-sided so that you can choose vertical or horizontal format. All rounded corners. All excellent print quality. All graphically designed by Lili Niclass. And all printed + delivered by … Persnickety Prints!
NOTE: All of the exclusive card designs will also be available in digital format for Project Real Life students.
What is so fun about Persnickety Prints is that their name is sooo what they’re about – picky and particular about the details. If you’re not already familiar with Persnickety, you should be. Because you take pictures. And you love your pictures. And you care about having quality prints of your memories – without breaking the bank. Simply put – they are awesome.
I hand-selected them to print the Project Real Life cards for my students. I choose them to print my own personal pictures. And guess what else? They are totally Project Lifers themselves! They totally GET what we’re doing – what you’re doing.
Which means … in addition to all the other sizes they offer, they even print 3×4 and 4×4 and 6×6 and 6×12. (Check out all their pricing HERE.) And … they’ll even round your prints’ corners for you with the same corner radius (3/8″) as our Project Life cards if you want! Hello, awesome sauce. In their pricing list, you’ll see options listed as “Project Life” prints. Those are all the sizes of the pockets you’re familiar with in our Photo Pocket Pages.
And no, we’re not making money off this. We just really, really love that Persnickety gets us, gets Project Life, and gets you.
PS – I got to meet Chari (she runs Persnickety and puts her heart & soul into what she does) last month. Instant BFFs. It’s bound to happen when you bond over memory-keeping and entrepreneurship. : )
What is it about sleeping children that is so beautiful? Is it just me – or do you feel the same way? When I see my kids passed out in random places, or tucked under the covers in their bed, I just pause. And look. And kiss their forehead. And say a quick silent prayer of gratitude that they’re mine.
And then I grab the camera.
I’m sure glad that my parents picked up the camera and captured me passed out too.
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we are featuring 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this weeks comes from Creative Team member Liz Tamanaha.
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I have a fierce affinity for white space. It started with scrapbook layouts. After years of experimenting with different styles I realized the pages that I most enjoyed looking at months (even years) down the road were the ones where I applied the less is more approach. Then I discovered the benefits of applying the less is more approach to managing a closet (a well curated wardrobe! Turns out that paring down was the answer – not getting a bigger closet. Who knew?). Most recently, I’ve been drawn to the use of white space in photography, thanks to the amazing work of photographers like Max Wagner and two professional favorites: Cindy Loughridge and Alice Gao.
I will be the first to admit that I can’t take a photo to save my life. Here’s where “white space” swoops in and save me (sort of). What I struggle with the most is how to frame my shot. Usually I just click away and hope that one of them will turn out decent. The more I click, the better my odds of getting a decent shot? Once I started shooting with the intention of incorporating more white space, my clicks became less hairy mary-like and more, well intentional.
And the added bonus of photos with white space? Lots of room to add text/journaling.
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Nikon D300, edited using RadLab by Get Totally Rad!
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iPhone 4S, processed using RadLab by Get Totally Rad!
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iPhone 4S, processed using RadLab by Get Totally Rad!
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This one isn’t so much white space as it is just a white background.
iPhone 4S, processed using RadLab by Get Totally Rad!
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Nikon D300, edited using RadLab by Get Totally Rad!
The last is a series of photos that spans three years. The first photo wasn’t taken with the intention of it ever becoming an annual thing though. I noticed a similarity between the photo taken in 2010 and this one taken in 2011, that’s when I thought it would be fun to try and make this an annual thing.
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You can learn more about Liz here, and check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
The following are notes from individuals and families who have generously donated to my brother's family. There are many others who donated beyond the notes you see below and the ads you see on my blog. We can not thank you enough for your kindness and generosity during this very difficult time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Jonathan -- May god give you strength and courage in the coming months. Enjoy your family. Love you wife and hug your kids. Lean on Him. He can handle it. God Bless.
- Tricia Shelton
May you be surrounded by love, friendship and family in this difficult time.
- The Gourlay Family
Dear Jonathan, Tina and family: Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Although we have never met, we felt compelled to reach out to you. We hope that through these well wishes you feel loved and cared for. Life is about our families, communities and sharing love with each other. Through Becky's blog, I know that you have a wonderful family. We hope you know that through Becky's web community, you now have many new friends thinking of you. May you find strength in God and from all the prayers said on your behalf.
- anonymous
I wish you all love, peace, courage, and strength for the days ahead. I'll be praying. Be blessed!
- Sandra
You and your family are in our prayers. God Bless!
- Angie Murray
Thank you, Jonathan, for being there to support Becky while she shared her gifts and talents with me through the years, albeit remotely. This small gift is the least I can do to say thank you. God bless you and your family.
- With loving thoughts, Terri C
Although I've never met Jonathan, I have been following Becky's articles, books, and blog for years—even met her once at CKU Orlando. Like so many that Becky has touched, I've always admired the love, unity, and values of your large and beautiful family. I wish you all love, peace, courage, and strength for the days ahead. I'll be praying. Be blessed!
- anonymous
All I can say is that I believe God has heard your call because He certainly placed it on my heart to respond. It was loud and clear. And when He's involved, great things far beyond what you and I can comprehend will occur and I pray that gives you peace today and the days to come.
- Peggy Krantz
May you continue to find peace and comfort knowing you are surrounded by loving family and friends.
- anonymous
My heart is filled with love and pain and gratitude for eternal families as I have read about the challenge your family faces. Please accept my donation as a small token to help ease the significant, and often devastating, monetary burdens that come with this challenge. Thank you for a fine example of strength during the darkest times we face in life - an example that gives courage to others struggling with trials in their lives.
- anonymous
To Jonathan and family - I am keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.
- God bless all of you, Leslie Schmitt
"Praying for you and your family." 1 Peter 5:7
- Kristina Proffitt
I'm praying for you throughout each day and asking God to give each of you the strength, comfort, and peace to get through this enormous trial. May God bless all of you in ways you never could've imagined and may His mighty and healing hand be especially upon you Jonathan.
- Much love, Lisa in Florida
May you continue to find peace and comfort knowing you are surrounded by loving family and friends.
- anonymous
Dear Jonathan and family, Our heartfelt prayers are with you and your family. May you know in your hearts that there will always be someone, whether here or above, who will always be with each one of you.
- Maria
Jonathan, his family, friends, and coworkers are all in my prayers during this difficult time. Thank you for sharing your story with all of us- it's very inspiring to see Jonathan's strength through this battle.
- Kristen
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is that small voice at the end of the day that says 'I will try again tomorrow' " - Mary Anne Radmacher - The last year has been really difficult for me, but this quote always seems to help. I hope it helps you and your family, as well. Don't forget, miracles really do happen. Hang in there and keep your chin up.
- Love and prayers from NM, Stephanie Taylor
To Jonathan, Tina and your entire family: I wish there were more that I could do to help you. Becky's books have been my favorites since I first read them. Because she shared family photos and stories, I feel like you are all old friends. Good luck and I am sending happy thoughts and sparkly wishes your way!
- Jacki Samolsky
Big hugs and lots of prayers of healing and peace to your whole family.
There is nothing better then capturing a family in their element, doing an everyday activity, like having dinner! For this shot, we were enjoying our first dinner outside for the summer season. The sun was actually starting to set (my favorite time to photograph, as I am sure it is for a lot of you….that golden hour) so I decided why not take a picture! For this one, I set my camera on the ledge of our gazebo and again used my trusty self-timer.
