As a fledging little business, I always ask people how they found me. It’s one of my favorite parts of this job. I can trace almost every session to a previous one and that one to one of my very first sessions. It’s like this little web of Green Chair Stories people that only I can connect in my head. It’s just about the most fun thing ever.
I say this because I LOVE how the Richter family found me. They are good friends with some of my favorites: the Dawkins family. If you remember them, they have an incredible story. They do a fundraiser every two years to raise money for PKS Kids. It’s a big, beautiful party that grows each year. This year, I donated a family session to their silent auction. And Candace (the pretty lady featured in these photos) had seen my work so they bid and won the item.
Let me tell you what: great people know other great people. Not only was this family simply a joy to be around, but they have an unbelievably inspiring story of their own! Their youngest son, Shaw, was born at just 27 weeks. This launched them into an immediate battle for his life, as well as an entire new world of medical terms, bills, and emotions.
Obviously changed forever, Michael and Candace founded Bee Mighty, an organization “established so that families can focus on each other and concentrate on the development of their child without the added stress of financial ruin.” Please take the time to go read more about their story as a family and about the amazing work Bee Mighty is doing.
Their hearts are as big as their smiles and I was so honored to photograph them! Michael, Candace, Nash, and Shaw … your story is bigger than you know and I am so grateful for people like you who live their lives mightily and for other people. I am inspired by you!