Let’s be honest—once you’re out of college, your phone doesn’t light up with a text much past 7:00 pm anymore (or is that only me?). By this time of night, it’s usually tucked away in another room, out of sight and charging.

 

But on this particular night, at 9:29 pm, it did.

 

Let’s back up a bit, okay? My husband, Joey, and I were preparing for a move five states away, and things felt quite up in the air. We were tired, stressed, and ready for the transition to be over. I had been doing some work I truly loved, but even still, life felt a bit too much. How do you pack up a 650 sq. ft. apartment while you’re still living in it and only about 85% sure you’re moving in 3 weeks? How do you start to say goodbye to friends and special places without full certainty you’re actually leaving? In short, you can’t. Enter emotional rollercoaster.

 

Okay, back to the text. Despite my best efforts to set work boundaries, I couldn’t resist taking a peek at my phone screen. It read:

 

“I cannot even find the words to thank you for your work! I am absolutely blown away! I cannot print and frame these fast enough! Thank you for using your talents to allow families like ours to capture these moments. Children grow so fast, and I just wish I could bottle up time. I feel like the closest thing to that is having family photos taken yearly.”

 

Did anyone else hear the angels singing? What a sweet message in a season of chaos. It’s like Jesus knew I could use a pick-me-up.

 

Truthfully, I get SO much joy photographing families + couples. It’s a huge blessing in my life for me to serve others through photography. But, do you know what is even more amazing to me? My clients actually bless me more than they know.

 

Year after year, these families trust me with whatever vulnerabilities and insecurities they’ve been carrying. Maybe it’s a child that’s been struggling, or maybe their marriage is strained. Whatever the case, we have 1-2 hours to just have fun, for mom + dad to snuggle up, for kids to run and play, and for this family to just be themselves. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly.

 

Michelle sent me that message at just the right time, and it allowed me to experience the grace and peace of Jesus all the more. Her family means so much to me, and I loved climbing the rocks on the beach in the sweltering heat that windy July morning. She expressed to me how she was drawn to the artistic candids, the natural movement of her little girls playing along the shore. I love how these images are real and a little raw, yet intentional.

 

I hope you do, too.