Paul Dudley: December 2010

I've experienced a very broad spectrum of life lately through people that I have become close with, from birth to death, and have seen and felt so very clearly the joy and sorrow that flow between the two. Firstly, babies. I love babies. There's just something magical about a brand spanking (no pun intended!) new baby. I've had the pleasure recently of photographing some adorable babies as well as young families in my studio. I swear that every time you hug a baby it adds a couple of years on to your life. Herding cats is easier at times than trying to get a baby or some little kids to sit still for a photo but it's time well spent. I've also been enjoying my own two kids this Christmastime, Alex and Miles, and am very thankful that Miles is home safely from his epic trip to China. And finally, I also had numerous wonderful visits with two of my favorite Camp Goodtimes kids in the hospital, Caity and Henry, and have seen Caity's subsequent amazing recovery from surgery only then to feel the great loss of sweet little Henry who passed away on December 3rd.

Henry's celebration of life last week was very heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. The service was attended by all sorts of people including kids that are in the same fight right now as the one that Henry fought so bravely. All I can say is that I hope the church gets their Kleenex at Costco. It was a great tribute to Henry that day and rest assured that anyone that was lucky enough to know him will keep him close forever.

The very next day for me was all the way at the other end of the emotional spectrum. Witnessing tears at a totally different type of celebration, the marriage of a beautiful couple, Nick and Helen, was very therapeutic. Tears of joy are just fine in my book and it was truly a wedding where everyone wore their heart on their sleeves. The wedding took place on about the only day in the last month when it didn't rain...at least on the teensy-weensy corner of the northwest where they tied the knot at Kiana Lodge on the Kitsap Peninsula. Congratulations to the happy couple and I hope they enjoy their snowboarding honeymoon (first lesson was today!). I'll share some photos from their wedding below.

Everyone's lives' obviously are on different courses, with radically different paths, and vastly varying starting and ending points. To dive into them randomly as you simultaneously navigate your own course is a beautiful thing. If you do so with an open mind and an open heart there is so much to be gained, and at the same time, there's so much to be given. I'm very thankful for the meandering course that has allowed me to crash into so many other people's voyages, even if for an instant...sometimes in as little as 1/30 of a second. Being sloppy at the helm does at times have its advantages.