And these words have appeared elsewhere.
I want them to find a home here, too. Here, because I have so much to thank Ann Voskamp and her book, "One Thousand Gifts," for. Bringing me closer day-by-day to God and Jesus. Being grateful every single day. Counting my gifts--the gifts given to me every single day.
Thankful I Am for many gifts about my parents.
The photo makes me smile. They are quite young. And smoking! And maybe have had a few glasses of wine! They gave smoking up in time. My mother became a director of Christian Education later in life and unfortunately passed away at the early age of 54 from cancer. I will be writing about My Mom over at My Mom's Bible, a place where I plan to market my new website, Christian Totes & T-shirts."
"Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love." (Corinthians 13:13)
Love.
I inherited the gift of love from my mother and father. My mother and father also taught me the importance of a smile. In thousands of letters my mother wrote to me she would close with “Keep Smiling.” And I have learned the importance of the gift of a smile; how a smile can change a person’s day, if not life.
When my dad passed away in 2006 my two children said to me, “He loved us so much.”
Love.
When I spoke at my dad’s memorial service, I said: “My sister Michelle spoke of The Perfect Child. I think in my father’s heart, in his soul and spirit, Michelle, Darlene, Dennis and I are all The Perfect Child as you, too, his family and friends are The Perfect People. Darlene spoke of The Lucky Ones. Yes, we four are lucky to have been blessed with a father filled with such unconditional love, a man who never spoke an ill word of anyone, his heart always filled with love for his neighbor. And Dennis spoke of our Dad as The Greatest and certainly he was for who could say what I want to say to you now; who could say this of their Dad–how many children could say that when they made a new friend, when I made a new friend, I always said to this friend, I can’t wait for you to meet my Dad, you are going to love him, and invariably, she or he did love him, and my Dad loved them and he would then always inquire about them, their day, their joys, their sorrows, their dreams.”
My father, Alfred, also known as Fred, and who Susan (my wife) and I named our Labradoodle after; in his honor (Freddy), was known as the epitome of a gentleman and his biggest joy in life came from loving his family and grandchildren.
Yes. This is how I want to be remembered. I loved. This is my legacy. And I believe my photography reflects this passion, a love of life, nature, beauty and a calling to share this vision.
This is my ministry.
An admirer of my photography writes: “You have shown me to see the world with a completely different set of eyes. Every single day you bring beauty, joy, depth, and new perspective into my life. I cannot thank you enough for being the beautiful, kind, loving, gentle, and soulful man you are.”
Another writes: “Thanks You for making my life more beautiful with each of your photographs.”
"Your amazing photographs warm my heart and fill my day with moments of beauty. Beauty that continues to stay in my heart and mind even after those moments have passed. I can’t imagine waking up someday and not being able to look at the unique way you view the world and make it burst from the screen or how you’ve capture the very essence of a person or place.”
Love.
Surely MY PARENTS taught me about faith, hope, and love.
Thankful I Am for the Gifts About My Parents.
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