“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin–real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a dept to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” Alfred D. Souza

I’m so thankful for recent insights into life.  There were so many times I have waited for the next life step, not realizing I was missing out on the stage of life I’m in right now.  I get caught up in the busyness of life. The stuff that doesn’t matter in the end. All of that is just part of life, but the most important part of life is connecting with those you love.

It makes me sad that I forgot this important lesson until my father was diagnosed with cancer. I will tell you though that in the days since his diagnosis, I feel so blessed to have real conversations with my Dad.  Time just doesn’t seem to matter right now, where in the past we were always so rushed.  “Can’t talk long, I’ve got lots to do”.  I now tell him at the end of every conversation that I love him.  I’ve never really been good at expressing that to him.

I was always in such awe of my friend Trina’s family.  She would get a phone call from someone in her family, and she would say at the end “I love you so much” and when she saw them in person, she would give them a hug along with an “I love you”.  I asked her one day “Do you always tell your brother you love him every time you see him” to which she replied “Of course”.  My favourite thing about Trina is her big honest heart.

The people in your life that love you will be thankful when you show how much they mean to you, and it can be in little ways too.  A kind word, a hug, a run to Timmy’s for a coffee, a just-because card, a note left to find on the kitchen table. It all matters.  Life is about connection. It’s about savouring the little moments that shape a year.  I want my kids to have a childhood filled with “I love you’s” and they will never be too old to give me a hug (I have and will chase them down for one).

This is exactly the reason photography is so important to me. In the beginning I didn’t really know the type of photography I was going to specialize in. Family photography kind of chose me because I feel the importance and the respect within documenting that connection.

Life is all about choices, and to live a life with happiness and gratitude in your heart is absolutely a choice.  Looking back on my blog posts, each post is less and less about “weight loss” and more about life lessons.  However, it’s all connected. It’s the Mind, Body, and Spirit connection that shapes each of our lives and it’s in our control how each of those elements work together to create our own identity…not only the person we are within, but also the person we put out there to others.  We’ve been given one life, one body.  That’s a gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Why is it we don’t appreciate our health until we are sick.  We don’t appreciate the summer until it’s winter, and the winter until it’s stifling hot. We don’t take the time to connect with loved ones until there’s no time left.  I know not everyone is like that, so forgive the blanket statement.  It’s just something that was on my heart.

Time is precious my friends. Life is precious.  Just because you feel something in your heart, doesn’t mean those important to you know that. Let it out! It’s completely freeing! lol

So next time you see someone you love, I would encourage you to show them that in whatever way you can.  I know men aren’t always good at showing how they feel, but I have to tell you as a daughter who was recently told by her father that I was missed and loved…it means the world and it absolutely matters.

From my heart to yours,

Christine