Sunday, June 24, 2012

Portrait Project...

Family Celebration Day 2012
June 16, 2012, 
Melissa and I got to team up with Liza and work with her on her daily turf.

her turf, our equipment, we decided it was an awesome combo!



We were totally, completely, humbly honored to take pictures of families that have been reunited within the DC court system during a Celebration Day hosted by the DC Courts.
These families have worked their tails off, done hard work to recover from some maybe not so great decisions and have been given back their children, who were waiting in the foster care system, as a result of all their hard work.

Surreal.
Beautiful.
Redemption.
I was speechless.

I still can't put great words or thoughts together about the whole thing.

Overcoming pain begets beauty.

That's about as close as this girls gonna get to articulating the emotions racing around my heart about these beautiful families.

and I do mean BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
see:


Last year, they had 2 families show up to the party 
(many more than that were reunited just only two came to celebrate)

Between Melissa and I, there were 24 families who had their pictures taken!!!
(and we are pretty dang sure we pestered every family there until they were captured in our cameras!)

that was 'cause for dancin'!!!


There were hot dogs, hamburgers, bounce houses, DJ's, and families.
Reunited ones.
Hard working ones.

Overcoming ones.... 

And after/before you enjoyed all of that, you could stop by the CASA booth and get your family portrait done, for free!

Many many many of these families do not own pictures of their kids, let alone full familiy pictures.

enter, Melissa, Holly and some fancy cameras.


There might have been a few head massages in between sessions....they might have been better than ones I have paid for.
No, no 'might' about it.

Besides my own daughters, this girl makes THE BEST pony tail and gives the best head massages:


but the breaks had to end and it was back to work..

meet Peaches and her girls:



What a blessing to capture and freeze in art form one of God's most beautiful displays of creativity.
Creatures made in His Image.
Relationships modeled after the relationship we have with Him.

Praying for many many more opportunities like this to come....

many.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

6 comments:

Missy said...

Thanks for being there. It was great to work along side you again on this...just a different way this time! So glad we got to be a part of this. :~)

Courtney said...

that's AWESOME. i mean, "awesome" doesn't even begin to touch it, but i have no other word. awesome.

Erika C. said...

LOVE!!

Erika C. said...

LOVE!!

Liza said...

No words. Just THANKS.

Now - let's start working on the next one! :)

Denise said...

I cried when I read this post...CRIED. As a foster mama who has kiddos who can't go home I think it is amazing to celebrate the ones who do!!