Reach for the Joy: Meet Karen and Zaiden | Los Angeles Family Photographer

While on our journey on the road of life, things happen that make you pause for deep thought and action. Karen made me do that. I met Karen years ago and we lost touch when she moved away from Los Angeles. We were just acquaintances then. Then one day, I heard that Karen had cancer. And it stopped me in my tracks. She was blogging about it (here), so I read her journal and quietly sent good vibes her way. And then suddenly the blogging stopped and I panicked. Was she gone? I never reached out! I need to find her! Through a mutual friend, I reconnected with Karen on Facebook and finally, I emailed her. As we chatted via email and got to know each other all over again, I learned that her cancer had gotten worse, and she was seeking alternative treatment. I sat in Los Angeles, feeling helpless, puzzling over what to do – how to make a difference – and then it hit me. Karen’s baby girl, Zaiden, was turning five and I wanted to document moments between her and her mommy. Like this one:

Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Denver and I was aiming my lens at little Zaiden – who by the way – is a surprising little girl. She is strong, she is smart, and she just adores her mother beyond belief. I now take this time to share with you some images from that shoot.

Karen has recently blogged about “surrender” and it has been a tough, difficult thing for me to accept. And yet she remains hopeful, and she still talks of joy. What an inspirational message that is: Reach for the Joy. The day she emailed me to “manage her blog when she is gone”… was a very teary day for me. I DO respect and admire her choice. I pray that a miracle will happen, and her choice to surrender will actually heal her. She is a Rare and Beautiful soul…and she has touched my life forever. I will always owe Karen for many things spiritual. I hope you will take the time to read her current blog, and if it moves you, leave her a comment or donation.

Here is an excerpt from Karen’s latest blog entry:

Sing Your Song
I am feeling as though the end of my journey is near. I am truly surrendered.
This is to be rejoiced. I have completed many of the missions I set forth to accomplish in this current body. I thought there might be more. And perhaps there is.

I have thought and prayed a great deal on this. At one time I thought my mission was to act- to share human emotion in a theatrical bent- to create joy, laughter, contemplation through the words of Shakespeare and Shaw and lesser playwrights.
Still other times, I thought it was to write the great best seller.
I believed that it was to make a big “SPLASH” in one way of other.

What if it was all for Zaiden? What if my nearly 42 years was all to prepare me to prepare her for her greatness? What if it was all for the people whose lives I have touched and effected in some way? What if it was nothing more than learning to love? And to forgive? Is this not a high calling? I am beginning to see that it is.

If all our lives amount to is loving those we reach, isn’t this a great accomplishment? To love and be loved is the highest of all callings.

Click here to read more on Karen’s blog…
More photos from our weekend: here

Fun in San Clemente | San Clemente Family Photographer

I had a great time with these guys. We hung out for a couple of hours on San Clemente Beach! What a fabulous beach…it’s just one of the most relaxing family friendly beaches around.
And what a gorgeous family! Such great big beautiful smiles. Lucky for me! Little man E gave me a hundred photo ops, he just loved the camera!!