Shannon Holden Photography

Meet Miss J, a new client. She is a little over a year old and so darling. We have had to reschedule her session because of all this crazy weather in Atlanta, and finally we got the chance to meet last week. The weather warmed up just enough to play outside for a little while.

Her blue dress was the perfect choice for her session. A beautiful color to match her gorgeous eyes, with delicate smocking, and just enough detail so as not to draw the portrait viewer’s eye away from her face. And even more perfect … it was a treasure from her Mommy’s childhood wardrobe!

Miss J took a few minutes to figure out who I was, and then she was so sweet and delightful. We played in her room for a while, spent some time with her favorite kitty cats, and then headed outside to their beautiful back yard.

Thank you, J and family, for a wonderful session! Enjoy your sneak peek!

I’ve been praying and thinking a lot about this. I loved the idea of Project 366 when I jumped in (without a lifevest). I still love the idea! But I love other things more (in no particular order) … time spent with my husband and children, time spent with my clients, time spent with God, time spent with dear friends. If you know me personally, you know that I am very, very good at getting myself overcommitted. And you also know that I have a very hard time admitting to myself that I’ve done so.

As I sat at my desk one afternoon, staring at a To Do list that grew longer by the day, and which included in repetition, “Update 366 Blog”, I procrastinated a few minutes and hit some of my favorite blogs.

My dear friend and amazing photographer, Kimberly Hill, had posted this story:

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar… and the coffee…

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your faith, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else – the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

And thus was my epiphany … Project 366 is sand. It’s a beautiful thing, but I can’t afford to pour so much of it into my jar anymore, because I have to save room for the big things. God, my family and my friends are my golf balls (though I prefer to call them my rocks … much nicer sounding). My clients and my work are the pebbles. Project 366, for me, is sand.

So while I’m a little sad to have to admit that I could not follow through on this project as I’d hoped, and a part of me is feeling like I failed, I feel a sense of relief to release myself from the daily commitment.

Please keep checking in on this page. Project 366 will become Project 250-300ish. I still plan to spend some free time, when it comes up, photographing for fun and creative development. That is my primary hobby anyway! So I will keep this blog open to share the images that happen along the way, the ones that fall outside of my work as a portrait photographer. And I hope to still update this blog very often, including some images from the last couple of weeks that are still waiting to be edited! It just won’t be updated daily anymore. And that’s … ok. Right?

Sigh. Can I get a hug?

If you have tried to reach me via email in the last few weeks and have not heard back from me, PLEASE let me know!! I have heard from a few clients this week who said they had emailed me and I never got their messages. Or in some cases, my replies have not gone through to them. I had trouble with this a while back because my email address had been mislabeled as a spam account. The issues seem to have been resolved for quite some time, but maybe they are cropping up again. Our world of technology is always a fun ride, isn’t it?
And on top of that, my internet service was down all day yesterday, so I am busily replying today to emails from Wednesday and Thurssday. In any event, please don’t think I’m ignoring you! Please call me whenever I have not replied within a day or so. Often if I am shooting most of the day, I’ll catch up on email at night. I always try to reply as soon as I can. My apologies to all of you whom I have kept waiting!

I have had some really wonderful sessions this week. I’ll share some images soon!

My boys say their prayers every night before bed. We start with “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep …” Then they share with God any specific prayer requests and thanks. Of course, they are young, so the prayers that come to their heart can vary widely. Let’s just say that God has heard, more than once, their yearning for a new Rescue Heroes or Pokemon toy. But every single night, for about the last couple of years, each of them has said, “God, please let Aunt Kim and Uncle Richard have a baby.”

This past Fall, it became apparent to our family that Kim and Richard were not going to be able to conceive. Despite the best medical advice and procedures available, including two unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization, it just didn’t seem probable anymore. And as many of you know, just about the only thing that comes close to equaling the heartache of infertility is the expense. My kids wanted to know why God had not sent the baby we all asked for. I tried to help them understand that only God could answer that question, and that God’s plan was so infinitely wiser than anything we could comprehend. So my son amended his prayer to say, “God, please help Aunt Kim and Uncle Richard have a baby, but if you don’t think that is part of your plan, please help them not be sad.”

This past Tuesday morning, through a series of events that only God could have put into motion, Kim and Richard were introduced to a baby about to be born who would need a forever family. A flurry of emotions and phone calls and conversations and long hours to and from the hospital each brought them closer to their dream of being parents.

On Thursday night, the papers were signed. On Friday, all our prayers were answered. Only three days old when he came home, this precious baby boy is now a part of our family, already surrounded by more love and more prayers than he could imagine.

This Easter Sunday, I have been so beautifully reminded that God is incredible, loving, and faithful. Though he may not always answer our prayers when we hope He will, he always answers them in His time, in His way, in His perfect wisdom.

Welcome to our family, precious baby boy. We have been waiting for you.