Winning the battle against leukemia..........

Ian is a 7 year old boy winning the battle against Leukemia also known as A.L.L. He was diagnosed in July of 09. He is entering his maintenance phase which is very good!!! Ian receives treatment at TX Children's Hospital and loves it there! He was full of energy during the shoot but who wouldn't be when they receive a blood transfusions, he was in the hospital the night before till 1am getting blood. Ian smiles more than any kid I have ever met. He is a happy little boy with a bright future!  It was such a blessing for me to see that even though Ian has cancer, that little boy is as normal as any other 7 year old. Thank you to Ian and his family for allowing me to take there photos.

"Ride For The Bear" slide show.............

Turn your speakers on there is music with the slide show.

Ride for the Bear.............

The Lindsay Foundation dedicates itself to helping children with special needs. I really enjoyed being able to take photos for the foundation! It was so cool to see all the bikes and all the riders. To know all those people came out to help special needs children filled my heart with joy. Having a child myself who is hearing impaired I know this foundation is doing an amazing thing.

Faith......................

So things have once again changed a bit. But like I said, I am taking things as they come. To be honest when I first had the thought to do photography for families that suffer with cancer I wanted to make everything completely free. That just sounded crazy to me, all I could think of was the cost and can I afford it.? I will have gas, cd, bubble envelopes, mailing cost, and everything else that goes with it. I was originally going to charge cost to these families but have decided not to.

I guess this is where faith comes in, right? When I think about service money never crosses my mind so why would I charge. Service is something you do for someone else without getting something in return. I must have faith that things will work out!

Ah....ha Moments

When I first had the idea to take photos of the faces of cancer I thought to myself that this would be a nice thing to do for others. As it turns out this is a very nice thing others can do for me. I find that the more I get involved with cancer the more I learn about myself and what it really means to serve others. I think to myself is this my talent I want to share or is this a talent my Heavenly Father gave to me to share with others. I believe this is a talent that Heavenly Father gave to me so that I could share it with others.

I have enjoyed being involved with the cancer community! It really puts things into perspective, like whats petty and whats important. Seeing people fight for their lives or hearing stories of children fighting for their lives really opens my eyes to what I am willing to make a fuss over or just say who cares. I am finding myself to be less offended by others and more understanding ( or saying who cares).

I am enjoying this journey very much! I am so excited about being involved with a foundation called CanCare. They truly know what it is people need in their lives. I have learned more from them in the past few months then I have learned in the past few years. I'm not sure if that is sad or if CanCare is just that amazing, maybe it's both.

When I die it wont matter what car I drove, how big my house was or even how much money I had in my banking account. What will matter is was I a good mother and wife and did I serve others. It's the relationships I build that I will take with me, not my earthly possessions. In the world we live in today it can be hard to remember those things but I try to remind myself often.

I am far from perfect and make mistakes daily but I am trying my hardest. I know my Heavenly Father knows my heart. When I return to him I want him to be proud of me. Life can be messy but we must try out hardest to clean it up before we return to live with him again.