Photography.

Photos are there for life (if we preserve them). This is so important to me. Picking up pictures can bring us back to any moment and time. It can help us relive a memory or help us learn about a time before us.

Photography for me is the most powerful tool we have that allows us to capture a moment.

I was blessed over ten years ago to meet the Roberts family. Wesley and I were in high school together and had our Freshman English class together. We along with my best friend, Malorie, got to know each other well with a group project. We had all become great friends.

Fast Forward to our Sophomore year and Wesley and I started dating at the beginning of fall semester. Being around Wesley, I met his mom, Nancy. She is amazingly talented when it comes to photography and much much more. I got to see the numerous pictures that she took: first birthdays, first days of school, beach vacations and much more! They ARE fabulous!

Then, almost two years later, Wesley had left my house after dropping me off from a date (his aunt and uncle's 25th Wedding Anniversary). He never made it home to his parent's house due to a fatal car accident. HEARTACHE doesn't even explain my emotion.

But, I had and still have those beautiful pictures that his mother, my mother, and others around us took of him. Without photos, little memories of days gone by would be lost. I am so thankful for the photos that are here. I can remember what he looked like even better than my memory holds because of the photos I have. It helps me remember his laugh and walk. While Wesley is not physically here, one way his memory stays so fresh are the pictures.

So, here I am 8 years later. Wesley's life helped make me the person I am today. His life led me to talents I never knew I had. Now, every time I have a photo shoot I think about this: I remember what photos are really all about. I reminisce of days and times that have passed. I believe I am here because memories happen.