Sharing a story given to Dane Sanders

I have a dear friend that has inspired and changed my life this past year and he posted this story. It was such a heart warming story one where you want share the message so with his blessing. I would like to give it all to you with a Merry Christmas. Enjoy.

THE RIFLE
by R. B. Ryan
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn’t in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn’t get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn’t figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn’t worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt,” he said. “Bundle up good, it’s cold out tonight.”
I was really upset then. Not only wasn’t I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We’d already done all the chores, and I couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this.
But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one’s feet when he’d told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn’t know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn’t going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn’t happy.
When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. “I think we’ll put on the high sideboards,” he said. “Here, help me.” The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I’d spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing?
Finally I said something. “Pa,” I asked, “what are you doing?” You been by the Widow Jensen’s lately?” he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I’d been by, but so what?
Yeah,” I said, “Why?”
“I rode by just today,” Pa said. “Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They’re out of wood, Matt.” That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it.
Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.
“What’s in the little sack?” I asked. Shoes, they’re out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little candy.”
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen’s pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn’t have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, sure we could spare that, but I knew we didn’t have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn’t have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, “Who is it?” “Lucas Miles, Ma’am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?”
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.
“We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last.
I watched her carefully She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t come out.
“We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” Pa said. He turned to me and said, “Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let’s get that fire up to size and heat this place up.”
I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn’t even speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I’d never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.
I soon had the fire blazing and everyone’s spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn’t crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. “God bless you,” she said. “I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us.”
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I’d never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen’s face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn’t want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, “The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We’ll be by to get you about eleven. It’ll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn’t been little for quite a spell.” I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, “Thank you, Brother Miles. I don’t have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will.”
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn’t even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, “Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn’t have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand.”
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen’s face and the radiant smiles of her three children.
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensen’s, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
Don’t be too busy today. Feel free to share this inspiring message. And may God reveal someone in need to you, and bless you!

Cans for comments Spread the Love

I want to thank Christine of Christine Tremoulet for the idea here.

I know I am fairly new to blogging and am really wondering if people are find it or not so what a great way to give back to the community and to find out. If you stop by to take a look at the blog in any way leave a comment on any portion of the blog and I will donate 1 can per comment to the local food drive that my son Grey's school does each year. Which might also help his hall win there inner school competition.

I would also like to give credit to the photographers that gave Christine the idea they are as Christine wrote "I have to give Chris + Lynn credit for the inspiration (oh my, are they ever inspiring!), and Scott of Think Photographics credit for pointing it out."

There are many other photographers doing this as well. Kristel Wyman, Lori Miles, Blue Olive, The Bebbs, CJ Scott, Erin Gilmore, Amber Hughes, Jamie Delaine, Tracey Heppner, Michael Wachniak, Melissa Zihlman, and John Heil

What happen to November

Well I seem to have missed blogging for the whole month of November. I am not really sure where the month went but I know it was plagued by computer problems and having to take the system in to the shop just to be told they had no clue. On the advice on my good friend Phil Dawes I did a system reinstall and with not only his support but the support of my Husband Kevin was able to get the system back to operating like new. It is a painstaking task but for me it was a task that proved to be a good life lesson as well.

I am looking forward to December and all the fun I have planned with my children Grey and Courtney but more on that tomorrow. As well as assisting my husband with the many charitable task he and the Lacey Firefighters take on at this time of year to give back to the community in which they serve.

Had an amazing visitor

This was truly a treat on this Halloween day, my son Grey was watching out the window and wondering if the rain would stop when all of a sudden a Bald Eagle flew into the yard and landed on one of the post for the fort the children have out in the back yard. I was able to get a few photographs of the male but the female never came close enough to get a good image. It is the first Eagles we have spotted in the yard since we moved in 5 years ago I hope the hang around because they are beautiful birds.

Autumn Rocks for Portraits

Autumn is an amazing time of year to get your portrait taken. The amount of depth you can get out of a natural environment is just beautiful. This location is always hot spot among photographers in the area and it is rare to get the park to your self, everyone is usually respectful of others but this day was a real treat because we had the park to our self’s and it was a beautiful day.








I would encourage everybody to get out and enjoy the season. Have a great day.

I am trilled to have had the opportunity to work with Ron Dawson from Cinematic Studios this past Friday. I have contracted with Ron to shoot a promo video and am looking forward to the results he says he got some great footage and I am hoping that means an awesome video to come. We had a beautiful day here high clouds and deep blue sky. The Weatherman said we were to have 66% chance of rain in the area. Luckily they don’t know what there talking about.

During the shot I had the pleasure of working with Leslie and Travis who got married this past summer. They are such a treat to work with so fun loving and happy together. We took pictures in the evening with the lights around town and what a treat as you can see. I love night shoots.


The steps of the capitol at night were lit up beautifully and made for a great back drop

Ron's video light was a nice addition in this shot adding a touch of rim lighting

Family

The other day I was talking to a woman who needed to reschedule an appointment I had with her co worker because the co worker was sick and she was unable to fill in herself because her mother was in town and not feeling well.

As we were talking it came out that her mother was 91 years old and how she really enjoyed the visits with her and that she would come to visit and stay for a week every few months. To be honest I thought this was amazing that at 91 she was still moving and traveling. I had asked her when she was going home and she said she would be going home the next day. I asked her when was the last time she and her mother had a life portrait done. This idea was new to her but as we talked she told me it was such a great idea to capture time in pictures to have and to remember. We often think about photographing our children but it is rare to document our Grandparents or Parents.

As we approach this holiday season and if you have a family get together try to remember to take a picture of everyone attending. If you can hire a photographer to come and take a portrait of the whole family but if you can’t do that at least take some record of where your family is at in that moment. It does not need to be a production it just needs to be you with your family.

My Favorite image and why

The other day in a forum Christine Bentley of Christine Bentley Photography asked us to share a favorite image and why it was our favorite. I just thought I would share this with the people who read this as well. I like the story behind it as well as the image.

It simple is titled “Grandpa” this was a loving grandfather who was in his early 80’s when his first granddaughter got married. He was so incredibly proud of her and wanted to capture his own record of images of her wedding day. He is the kind of relative I adore they love photography as much as I do. I got to be very careful of my movements during a portrait session of the family because it seemed like he was always over my shoulder. The Bride even asked me to move him out of the way if I liked but he was no trouble this was back in 1993 and he was shooting a 110 film camera, I thought him sweet. I believe family had finally told him to back off because in the next location when I looked back to check for him he was now 10 feet behind me. I knew that with his camera it would never come out at that distance so I placed him closer and by doing so was able to create this image of him. It is one I cherish because of the memory reminder that it is. Hope you enjoy it.

Melissa and Andrew got married last Saturday

I had the pleasure of photographing Melissa and Andrew this past Saturday and what a great event. Melissa and Andrew choose to see each other before the wedding ceremony at the campus of the Seattle University http://www.seattleu.edu and what a great spot for it. As a photographer there were so many places to work that it was wonderful. If that location was not enough of a treat they had also chosen to be married at Saint James Cathedral http://stjames-cathedral.org/main.htm and that is a WOW location if you’re still looking for a site to marry and are catholic I highly recommend looking at it this location. The wedding coordinator Bev there was a delight to work with and everyone appeared to have a great time.

Autum is my second favorite time of year

I enjoy autumn the most because the cool weather comes back to the area and the leaves start to change. It is a great time of year to enjoy life. I know myself I enjoy putting on my big cozy sweaters and taking walks down the road and listening to the trees. It may sound really funny to say that but I live in a heavily treed area and when the breeze blows the trees it is a very cool sound. It can get your creative mind excited about what it can make. It was just recently discussed with a group of wonderful women I know that as women we were designed to create that it is just a part of who we are. When you take the time to find different ways to inspire us we will want to create. I find that taking the time to enjoy the little moments that have been placed in front of me can be extremely inspiring for me. I hope you will all take some time to enjoy this time of year.

Football Pictures have been released

What an amazing response thank you all for your kind words regarding my football pictures it has been great to hear from so many of you. Just a few bits of business if you want to order a DVD it will be more cost effective for you all to order as a group and once I get a date from Kendra we will start taking orders. So either get in touch with me or with her. I have been able to slow the images down so you will be able to see each image for a longer time. For anyone wanting to see the still images of the game you may view them at

http://www.pictage.com/545035

Enjoy the game

High School Football

I had the pleasure of photographing the local high school football team this pass Thursday. I would like to Thank Kendra Dahlen for the invitation and coordinating with the coaches. The day resulted in 400 plus images that I have compiled into a slide show.
Which can be purchased as a DVD if anyone is interested just email me and we will give you the details. The rest of the images will be posted with in the next few days to http://www.pictage.com/545035

Mason Lake Nuptials

On August 23, 2008 I had the honor of photographing at the Brooke Duggan-Vispond’s family lake home. This home was her Grandmothers residents and though she has past away you feel as if she is right there that day with all her beloved family gathered. Brooke had chosen to have her Grandmothers wedding dress recreated so that she may where it. As you will see it was a beautiful gown. Her husband to be Jason Rothermel seems to enjoy the lake as well by the time we arrived he had already been out on the lake and enjoying some early morning wake boarding (if I have that wrong I am terribly sorry).

I really enjoyed this wedding the from the people to the location to the music which was provided by http://www.lastcall2k.com Chris was a last minute substitute but I really think they got the best. He is has a very current digital library to work with and great personality very fun and easy to work with.

Tanner

Tanner was very easy going. Has a very natural smile and a great love of baseball hats.

Looking forward to doing some action shots with him this autum baseball season he is a natural when it comes to baseball.

Karrah, Sally and Selina

These girls were a real treat to work with and had great smiles to boot.

Alex Papiez

Had a lot of fun with Alex at his senior session at the park. Is easy going nature was very evident in his smile.

His dog Socks was not as easy to work with his attention was any where but on the camera.
It was a really pleasure to work with Alex and I can't wait to see how his senior album turns out.

Sally

Sally is a fun high school senior to work with I have had the pleasure

of photographing her family for a few years now.

Leslie and Travis

To view their sneek peek slide show just click on their names. This was a wedding that had a beautiful day not to hot and not to cold add in the clouds and the Capitol building and you can not go wrong. Leslie and Travis are a fun loving couple who are so natural with each other. Very fun to photograph. I hope you enjoy watching there seek peek.

Amber and Rich

On August 8 Amber and Rich got married and what a beautiful sunny day we had. If you click on the names you will get to see what I mean. Rich and Amber are to of the sweeties people and I feel blessed that I got the chance to photographer their wedding.

British Motor Coach

These vehicles have so much personality on there own they are always a wonderful addition to any wedding.

The bride and groom as they leave the wedding ceremony and head to the reception.

This is definitely the company to use if you want to travel in style on your wedding day.

It is such a great prop to work with.

The Cole Family Portrait

These are my dearest friends and though Jann is terribly camera shy I finally got her to do a portrait session. It was spur of the moment and completely unplanned until the day before I believe it turned out wonderfully. They were on the last few days of there vacation and it was a joy to meet up with them. All were feeling relaxed from every day life. It is really a treat to be included in these special family moments.

Car Wash

What a fun portrait photo session this was. Leslie and Travis are due to be married in less then 3 weeks and took time out from the planning to do a bit of car washing. Leslie and Travis are very fun and extremely happy people who when working with them you can just see how much they enjoy and appreciate life.

Sonja and Kevin June 28, 2008

The something old in this wedding was the car for sure a very well preserved family heirlum. The car in the picture aboved belonged to Sonja's Grandpa and though he is no longer with us it was a very special touch for Sonja to use his car as transportation on her big day. Sonja's Dad has taken very good care of the car over time and being a car guy through and through had several very cool older and in mint condition cars available to use for the day. Which add a bit of flair to the wedding. They had the a lot of energy as well which made them just a fun group to be a part of.

The bridesmaid dresses matched the old car perfectly and they all enjoyed riding in them. It really added a nice touch of uniqueness.

Casey and Larsen

Casey and Larsen choose Golden Gardens park for their engagment session and it is one of my all time favorite spots to work. Normally the park is not to busy but of course on the Sunday after July 4th and the beautiful weather we have had it was very busy. One of the things I love about this location is that there can be a million people in the park but yet with a little patience you can make it look like there was no one around.

Casey and Larsen also brought their dogs and I am really glad they did it is always fun to work with them and these two pups were very cute I am sure you will agree I just adore there ears.

27th of June Lynda and David Gresham tied the knot.

Their ceremony was held at the Hollywood School House and what a fabulous day it was. The school house has such charm and warmth to work with it was a fun spot to be creative in. I had the honor on their wedding to work with a wonderful second photographer Susan Berman of Whimsical Photo Design. As you will see below and in our watch section of my website we got some amazing images. The grounds of the Hollywood School House are fun to work with.

As well as the interior of the building.

During the ceremony we had such a treat, one of the flower girls sang during the lighting of the unity candle. This little lady had a beatuiful voice.

With all the the formals done, the Bride and Groom were ready to dance and this is where some really fun shots can be taken.

Makes me feel proud

I love to here from my clients what the experience of working with me was like. I could not have been prouder then I was when I read what Tom and Abby Carter had to say.

Dear Ami,

We wanted to write and thank you so much for being our wedding photographer. Where do we start? Our experience with you was nothing short of extraordinary! For the price we paid and the amount of effort/attention to detail you offered, we got the deal of a lifetime. You were not just a simple photographer; rather you were also a traffic cop, confidant and wedding coordinator as needed, wrapped up in one package.

On the actual day, you were exactly where you needed to be on time, and always exhibiting the utmost professionalism. You also always place first priority on what we wanted done. Your dedication was reflected in both the quality of the pictures and the length of coverage provided in the day, which we believed was approximately 12 1/2 hours. When we were first interviewing photographers, none of them would go past 8 hours with out charging an additional rate. An additional service you provided was working timelessly on the design of out wedding album. The first draft of the design was absolutely breathtaking and the final product was even better!

Many photographer/couple relationships are temporary and come to an end once the wedding is over. From the beginning, you have taken the time to develop and nurture our relationship it has developed into a friendship that will last a very long time.

You’re a different kind of photographer with a customer – centric philosophy, which will translate into much success for you in the future. Please know that from our prospective, we’ll be sending referrals your way for life!
Thank you again for our perfect pictures!

Tom and Abby Carter

All I can say to that is it was my honor you were a pure joy to photograph. They were married in San Marino California and like all my destination events we spent time in the days before doing a walk through and just getting to understand them and there hopes for the wedding images.

Baby Ava

Welcome Baby Ava

Born on June 1 to the proud parents of Nick and Melanie

I was so excited to get the call from Mel to let me know she had arrived. I dropped everything but the camera and headed for the hospital. Baby Ava is just a beautiful little girl she would hold her hands together just under her chin. I truly enjoyed the photo session and look forward to photographing her many more times this year as she grows up