I just love the days when I’m struggling and those days I have doubts that I’m doing what I was made to do and I get gentle reminders without speaking of these struggles that reassure me that I’m walking the path that was laid out before me and I’m where I’m suppose to be. I really wanted to wait and share this on Father’s Day.. but I just couldn’t hold back. I’m bursting at the seams to tell the story of this family.
I’ve been participating in Operation Love Reunited since the Fall when I captured the homecoming of my first family. What a blessing this family has been to me and I’m so grateful to now call Jennifer a dear friend. There’s something about sharing in these moments with these families that builds an immediate bond like I can’t describe. After just a few emails and spending minutes with them it’s like the friendships were meant to be.
Bring in the Sanders Family… Where to even start with this family!? I received this email a couple of weeks ago from Lauren.
This is my husbands third deployment; he missed our preemies birth, he has missed about 10 out of 19 of the months of her life, he has never been home for a Mother’s or Father’s Day and he is really struggling right now. I would love some beautiful pictures of our family to lift his spirits possibly for Father’s Day. Please let me know if you are interested.
I don’t usually get emotional or cry but her email instantly brought tears to my eyes- we’d already bonded.. and I hadn’t even met her yet.
I quickly responded with a resounding “Yes, I’d love to meet you and I’m in awe and so grateful for the DAILY sacrifice your family makes for me and my freedom”.
Through a couple more emails we decided to meet at a park I’ve recently discovered and it’s turned out to be quite a gem! They drove down from the North and I ran over to meet them on a Monday morning.
Avery has quite the story- she’s a walking miracle (She was 12 weeks early causing her daddy to miss the birth, and weighed 2lbs 6oz). After 54 days in the hospital and a tough 1st year- she’s beat the odds and moving full steam ahead and is already 19 months old! She’s the most precious and outgoing little girl I’ve met. She doesn’t know a stranger and was quick to greet everyone that passed by with a smile and wave hello.
Although her daddy has missed seeing his little girl grow up- they (her mother and grandmother) have worked very hard to make sure he’s still as present as he can be in her day to day activities. She keeps a picture of him on his last visit home close by and best of all Avery gets a “kiss” from her daddy every day (see more below). Lauren’s friend was able to ship in some of his uniforms, hats, boots and we even had a flag he brought back that was flown in Iraq.
I hope you enjoy this families story, please leave them support and love in the comments below and most importantly if you see someone in uniform make sure and say hello and thank them for their sacrifice and hard work. :)
This is what I received from Lauren after sending her a few sneak peeks:
How fun is that? I’m so stinkin’ blessed!
Please, please PLEASE show your support and love for this family- and leave Lauren and Ryan some love in the comments below. :-D
She’s absolutely beautiful
You’d never know she started life being soooo small!
Her “daddy kisses” come from a jar. He gave her the first Hershey’s kiss before he left and she takes one out every day and she savors every last minute of it too! I’m absolutely in love with her expressions as she unwraps her kiss below.
We went back to the car and were about to call the session a wrap when it hit me I hadn’t done any pictures of just Lauren. (Remember the email above? He specifically asked for pictures of HER after we did this session… eeek! How cool is that? It gets me all teary eyed!) I asked if she’d like a few of just her for Ryan and with a little encouragement we went back out and snapped just a few. It didn’t take long- her beauty radiates from within.
There were so many more images I wanted to share- if you’ve never watched a slideshow before PLEASE watch this one- and have a box of tissues handy. Knowing the story behind the images brings it all home… Enjoy!
I hope that these images not only lift his spirits and make being so far away from his beautiful family a little easier, but that they will be images that can be cherished for years to come. This is the email I received from Lauren after she had viewed the slideshow and the gallery.
Again, these are the days I’m reminded that daily I can make a difference in the lives of others- and it doesn’t take a medical degree or living in a 3rd world country- my only tools are compassion and my camera- the rest is a talent I’ve been blessed with and am fortunate enough to share with others. :-D
“The photos and other content of this publication do not imply any endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Defense.”
