The greatest joy of my business is giving people a photo they will have for the rest of their lives. Nothing is more fulfilling than to take pictures of a family before the husband and father leaves for Iraq...or the 50th wedding anniversary where all the children and grandchildren have traveled for miles to help celebrate...or the child who has never had a professional picture taken...or preserving the memories of a wedding, where there is nothing but happiness. Giving that gift to people is what makes doing what I do so cool.

But I had a different request this week that has been heavy on my heart. It's a sad request, a request that I have never given any thought to before. It came from the OB unit at our hospital and they want to bring a national service to Yankton for families who experience the greatest sadness a family could go through. They want me to be a professional photographer they call upon at the family's request to preserve memories and through those memories would help the family heal. My first thought was no way, I can't do that. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is the ultimate gift for someone. This would be their only treasured memory. If I say no, families would never have this precious gift. A part of me would be very sad about that. I feel like God has put this in front of me for some reason. I could give this ultimate gift to people I don't even know and they would carry that memory on for the rest of their lives. But can I handle it? Can I put myself in that position and emotionally handle it?

I have to be honest...I really feel like God is speaking to me. And it's almost strange. I feel different this week. I feel like I am supposed to do this. I feel like he is telling me to do this. I went to the website of this organization that was founded in 2005. There are 3000 photographers worldwide affliated with them. The photos are beautiful. The stories are beautiful. It made me understand these families needed this to help heal, to help keep the memory. As I was searching the site, I came across this quote...

You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give.

For a half hour of my time, a family could begin to heal. Please pray for me and that I make the right decision, that I do what God wants me to do. Not only for me, but for families out there that need this organization in our town.