Harvest Blessings

I love this time of year in Lancaster County when the crops are harvested, the pumpkins appear on everyone’s porch, the mums are in full bloom, and the October skies are filled with low-lying clouds. What a blessing to be able to take in the sights and smells of the earth before winter covers them up with a blanket of snow. It’s like springtime for just a little while before they begin the big sleep of winter.

On Sunday, I took in some of the harvest blessings, including a wedding that I happened on while walking around one of my favorite places – Donegal Presbyterian Church. The flower girls were making good use of their time while the others in the bridal party stood in line for their formal portrait. Children are good barometers of life; they grab at it every chance they get. Every day is a harvest blessing for them!

Take one day a week to enjoy your harvest blessings and learn to "play" again. If you have food, shelter, and work to do, you are blessed. Appreciate the little blessings of daily life and think about ways you can share harvest blessing with others.

“Happiness is not a possession…it is a state of mind.”

~ Daphne du Maurier

Living Life Passionately,

A Portrait for Life

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is here and with it comes “Think Pink Photography” which “celebrates life and the cause” by offering complimentary portrait sessions for cancer survivors. Think Pink Photographers donate their time, their resources, and valuable expertise to support those going through the breast cancer journey.

I recently spoke with one of the Think Pink Photographers, Beth Cardwell, who donates a portion of the “would-be-session” fee to Think Pink’s partner, The Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation, "dedicated to providing programs and activities that unite both men and women in promoting education, increasing awareness, and providing support and resources for families who have been touched by breast cancer."

Beth Cardwell has not personally been touched by breast cancer, but she recently did a portrait for a woman who was diagnosed as terminal. As she spoke about this woman with young children, she was moved to tears. Breast cancer became “personal” to Beth that day.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Think Pink Photography, Beth Cardwell is offering breast cancer survivors a photo session and ten free prints. Cancer survivors must be within the first year of being diagnosed, which includes: those who are newly diagnosed, going through treatment, before mastectomy, those who are currently going through treatment, and those who have just finished treatment and have received a “clean bill of health.”

As a 13-year breast cancer survivor, I have to admit, the first year is the most difficult— filled with ups and downs, fears, frustrations, and wondering what the future holds. The closest I have come to describing that first year is like the poster of the kitten hanging by its claws on a tree limb. It’s a tenuous time. But time is the great healer and with each new day, you are one step closer to peace and healing.

Thankfully, Think Pink Photographers like Beth Cardwell are helping survivors heal by capturing that moment in a portrait for life!

Living Life Passionately,