March.  Oh, March!

I have such mixed emotions towards the month of March.

On one hand, we finally find ourselves on the other side of winter’s deep freeze and it’s my amazing little boy’s birthday.  On the other hand, there is a lot of room for disappointment if we pin our hopes too tightly on the possibilities that lie ahead.

This year, in particular, March has offered the full spectrum of emotional allotments.  There has been a fair bit of ups and downs.  There has been wonderful days spent with family…peaceful afternoons napping with the kids…bright sun…plans for the future…and all of those daily things that make life so wonderful.  But there has also been snow.  And cold.  And more snow.  As of today, our city has been buried in winter for nearly half a year.  For my son and I – who both have sensitivities to prolonged seasons – this has proven challenging for both our physical and emotional states.

But the beautiful thing about life is that, so often – just when you think you can’t handle another moment of what’s currently going on around you – the Universe throws you a bone.  A little break in the anarchy.  A light at the end of the tunnel.  Sometimes it’s an especially warm day that reminds you that Spring will arrive eventually.  Sometimes it’s planning a trip down the road that breaks apart your current feeling of stagnation. And sometimes it’s a visit from a dear friend that makes you laugh so hard you nearly forgot that the temperature is minus crazy outside!!!

Thankfully for me, I was gifted with all three of these most needed reprieves this month…a blessing that made this past weekend’s snow storm a little bit more bearable [though, clearly not for my son…as he just started to cry and whine “I don’t WANT to play with winter anymore!!”].

One of the best parts of this past month though – and one of the awesome occasions that gave me the needed fuel to endure the tail end of March – was photographing Jenna and Chris’ engagement session…

As a whole, it wasn’t really that different from my other engagement shoots; we laughed…we took pictures…we trekked through questionable terrain.  But in so many ways, it was very different.  It was different because it was exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it.  It was laughter when I had been struggling to smile…it was creativity when I felt so desperately limited…it was a long walk through the snow when I needed reminding that Mother Nature is actually our friend.

Best of all…it was Jenna & Chris!  Two people who – unknowingly – lifted my spirits more than I could have imagined!  Their amazing smiles…their hilariously awesome personalities…and their willingness to be attacked by random trees just because I asked them to!!

All of this – amongst other things – left me smiling…left me inspired…and left me with the stamina I needed to wait the rest of this winter out.

So, in conclusion…the world needs fewer anti-depressants and more of Jenna and Chris!

True story!