Just a Moment

Long before I ever was diagnosed, there was a facebook post circulating among some of my photographer friends sites that read something along the lines of this:

I am a loving mother who put off taking family photos because I found them to be too expensive but somehow always found money for A. Pedicures B. Hair products C. A new purse.  Then I developed terminal cancer and my nails rotted off and my hair fell out and I'm no longer strong enough to carry my new purse.  If ONLY I spent that money on having family photos taken then I could leave my precious family with memories of me instead of a shriveled corpse.

Here was my response:  Giant eye roll.  And I continued to put off scheduling my own family photos - even though one of my best friends is probably one of the most talented photographers out there. 

And then I got cancer.  Awesome.

Now I don't want to make this one of those cautionary tales where you have to forward this message on to ten of your friends within five minutes or a plague of locusts will immediately inhabit your nether regions.  But if I've learned nothing else from this experience, it's that life is fragile.  It can take your breath away by it's beauty - and it can change in an instant.

Which is why I am telling you from experience:  Book your damn family photos.

Thankfully, my aforementioned bestie Jennifer Borst is all too aware of this phenomenon and on a recent visit she brought along her camera, drug our family to an alley in downtown Coeur d' Alene where we were all celebrating the Fourth of July - and over the next 30 minutes captured something that I will never be able to repay her for. 

Because these pictures are the equivalent of a "ripped-from-a-magazine" swimming suit model taped to your refrigerator mid-February as incentive to gain a bikini-ready body.  These photos are a reminder that there is health and vibrancy, love and laughter in our lives.  And if I am honest, they are also a reminder that even though cancer has taken so much from me - I can still be beautiful and strong.  And someday we will have all this again. 

They are a gift that I will treasure always - and hold on to tightly especially in days to come when I'm sure there will be times when it is hard to remember ever feeling that way.

So thank you Jenny for being my beautiful talented friend and for giving us such a precious gift.  I love you so much.

And for the rest of you - here is a glimpse of some of my favorite photos from our photo session by the lake on one of the last golden days before I start chemo.  This is my family.  They are the reason I am fighting.

(Now go book your own family photos - and don't make me tell you again!)

 

(And because I am well aware that photographers must make a living and that some of you may want to book sessions with her after seeing these - all photos are copyright Jennifer Noel Borst 509-961-0484.)