Our mission was simple. Load up the kids, head to the park to snap some photos we needed for online stock image store, feed the ducks, and head home. Everything was going smoothly, just another walk in the park! But then something happened that totally changed our plans…for the better!
We had just finished initiating a feeding frenzy by throwing fistfuls of broken Ritz crackers into the lake. Ducks swarmed from places we couldn’t even see. Even a Goliath-sized goose joined the party and muscled out the little guys! We started to walk out of the park as the sun was setting, and that’s when our plans completely changed.
As we were walking out we saw a sweet young couple that looked like they were trying their hardest to take their own photos with their baby boy. They were far off in the distance, and something just made us stop. The sun was showing it’s last sliver of light as it slowly dipped on the horizon, and there was barely any light left!
We felt compelled to do something in a strong and deep way that we hadn’t felt before. Before Erica knew it, she turned around and Jon was gone. The couple had a camera they had just gotten for Christmas mounted on a tripod and were doing their best to use a trigger to take their own posed photos. We offered to help, and after taking a few photos and talking with them for a couple of minutes, we knew exactly why we had felt the tug on our hearts. Anthony and Michelle are an amazing couple. Their baby boy, Benjamin, was all smiles and bright eyes when his daddy held him!
Again we felt compelled to do something more, so we instantly acted on it. We talked with them and decided to meet up the next day for a photo session. And it was quite simply all that what we can only describe as God’s perfect timing.
You see, Anthony is a hero. Like many service members, he would most likely downplay that title, but to us and so many Americans, it’s exactly what he is. Anthony serves our country in the Air Force Reserves, and was scheduled for deployment exactly one week after we met them. He and Michelle had been out taking photos with their sweet 7 week old baby boy before he shipped out. When we found all of this out we knew exactly why we had felt that strong urge to step in and help a stranger.
Anthony and Michelle, we truly feel privileged to have run into you that evening. We can’t tell you enough how much joy it brought to us to be able to capture these images for you and your sweet family! Thank you both for the sacrifices you make to ensure the freedom we all enjoy. You will both be in our prayers and in the prayers of so many, and we hope that these photos are a blessing to you both during your time apart.
Comments +