Cici, Christian and Makenzie: 3 families, 3 journeys...

cici and her mom jenny enjoying the early spring day at the park
http://colofisch.blogspot.com/




a group of friends sharing a common journey with grace and love


pam and makenzie
http://www.makenziesmiracle.org/2009/03/my-journey-to-healing.html


shauna and christian
http://christiansjourneyblogction.blogspot.com/2010/03/design-your-own-eco-friendly-trash-sack.html


makenzie and her amazing smile. (that smile stayed with me long after our photoshoot together)












penny, cici and jenny. penny and cici are identical twins



when i think of heroes i don't think of presidents, sports figures or musicians, heroes to me are people in the trenches fighting everyday battles with determination and grace. i think of ordinary people with extraordinary circumstances. today i think of these three families that i recently had the chance to spend time with.

cici & jenny, pam & makenzie and shauna & christian.

i think of how strong they are. i think of just how hard they fight and how hard their little ones fight. i think of the courage and love that surround the kids, the moms, and everyone in the families who pull together and fight everyday.

life is not predictable nor it is something to take for granted. but i do believe all of us will be tested within our lifetimes. some of us now and some later. for now...these kids are facing some major challenges. but the love that these mothers have for their kids is so strong that it can be felt as a power surrounding them. in fact, jenny's family adopted the simple philosophy as their theme: "accept the gift as if it were one you had chosen".

i had the honor of spending some time with these families and photographing them. i left my session with them feeling so happy to know them, so happy to see what grace it. so happy to learn how strong the bond of love it. and to see just how much we can accomplish when love surrounds and supports us through our struggles.

this is a group of fabulous mothers, fabulous kiddos and fabulous families. it is WELL worth your time to spend some time learning about their stories and contributing to their causes.

thank you for taking the time to follow their journey. please consider donating to the auctions and fundraisers for these families. it will be time and money well well well spent.

and thank you shauna, jenny and pam for showing us something we ALL need to learn sooner rather than later: grace under pressure.