Thursday, October 7, 2010
Falling for fall...
There are just some things that you don't want to miss. Fall in my beloved beautiful Smoky Mountains is one of those things...Seeing all of the beautiful colors in the trees and landscape is breath taking. The days are growing shorter and the air has a crispness to it that you can't mistake for anything but fall. There are pumpkin patches and corn mazes springing up everywhere, not to mention the haunted trails and the Halloween decorations in all of the stores. I love everything about Fall. The candy corn, and the pumpkin rolls, the smell of cinnamon and apple...The Fall festivals always have something for everyone. Fall just seems to be a time of year when everything seems so carefree , it's a great time to make special memories with your loved ones. From now until Nov. 30th I'm doing Fall portrait packages for $75.00. For that $75.00 you will get a one hour portrait session at the location of your choice any where within 50 miles of Knoxville. You will also receive 2-8x10's, 4-5x7's and 24 wallets. For an additional $25.00, you can get all of your images on a cd that you can take anywhere and have additional portraits printed. Gift certificates are also available for Holiday portraits! Hurry and Schedule your appointment today as sessions times will fill up fast! To schedule an appointment please send an email to photographybymelinda@gmail.com or call me at 865-258-4027
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Finding myself...
I just had a birthday on September 5th.Where does the time go? I can't believe I'm now 31. It's so odd to think about me being out of high school 12 years. Next year I've been out of school as many years as it took me to get through school...I've always been a dreamer...In highschool, I made all of these plans and goals for my life...It's taken me some time to realize how far off base I've become because somewhere along the way I lost myself.I forgot about the thought out goals and dreams for my life, I started living for others, and all of a sudden, my life goals and dreams just sorta faded away into the background. I've had some time recently to reflect on what I want from my life and decided it's time for me to smarten up and do things simply because I want to do them. You could say I'm working on finding myself.I'll let you know what I discover!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
R. I. P. David...May you soar with the angels!
A tragedy happened in my family yesterday morning. My 16 year old cousin David Fox took his own life.Everyone always says, "My child would never do that", really, do you want to gamble on that fact? If this kid could do it then anyone's could. David was an exceptionally bright and even gifted child. He was respectful of his parents and teachers, he never had anything bad to say about anyone, he never touched a drug, or drank a drop of alcohol, he came from a stable loving home, he was infact the center of his parents entire world. This boy tutored his classmates and younger children because he always wanted to be helping people. I've heard so many people say about their children, that my child just isn't the type that would take their own life, just so everyone knows, death doesn't descriminate. Talk to your children, let them know that they can come to you with any problem and at the end of the day you are still going to love them. Give your kids room to grow and make their own mistakes, if you notice that you child is not him or herself seek out help for your child. Never say my child would never take their own life. My aunt and uncle are in a state of grief that most of us will never comprehend this morning because they never thought their child could take his own life. Please keep my family in your prayers, especially my aunt Fleeta and uncle Thurman Fox. Rest in peace David, may you soar with the angels!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hi Handsome, My name is Rose...
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..
She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze..
'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.
She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'
'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..'
She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
'Good friends are like stars..... .....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.'
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..
She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze..
'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.
She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'
'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..'
She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
'Good friends are like stars..... .....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.'
My stake...
Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with anything at all. Have you ever felt like every time you seem to find your place in this world, someone comes along behind you and knocks you off your newly claimed ground and claims your stake to the world as their own? Recently that seems to be happening to me a lot. Sometimes I feel like screaming and yelling and taking back my stake. Other times I feel like saying "Take it, just take whatever you want and leave me alone!" I hate mean people they truly do suck! They suck the life right out of everything. They steal your moment in the sun and leave you chilled in the darkness! They seem to always be on top of everything. They are the top performers in everything from work to recreation and it seems like they always are taking, never bothering to save something for the rest of us. You know what mean people? I'm way over it! You can suck the life out of everything but deep down we both know you're not really happy, you're not ever going to be free, and you sure as damn it won't break me! So you go right ahead and keep taking all you want or need from those that will still let you, as for me, as of today I'm going to take my life and start controlling it again and I'm going to quit allowing you to claim my worldly stake as your own...It was my stake first and it's mine until I grow tired of it, Do you understand?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Hands...
A man some years back, sat feebly on his porch.
He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.
When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was OK.
He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine", he said in a clear strong voice.
"I didn't mean to disturb you, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK.
"Have you ever looked at your hands," he asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"
Slowly i opened my hands and stared down at them.
I turned themover, palms up and then palms down.
No I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.
As he smiled and related this story.
" Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, have they served you well through your years?
These hands, though wrinkled,shriveled and weak have been tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a child I crashed on the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.
As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.
They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war.
They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band,they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle.
Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friend's foot.
They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.
They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands that hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly, it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when He leads me home.
With my hands, He will lift me to His side and there I will feel "His hand in mine." When my own hands are hurt or sore or when I touch the face of my children, I know they have been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I too want to reach out for the hand of God and feel His hands upon my face.
Please take the time to look at your own hands. Have they done all they can for the Lord?
"Thanks to all of the folks I know who have "Worn Used Hands!"
He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.
When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was OK.
He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine", he said in a clear strong voice.
"I didn't mean to disturb you, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK.
"Have you ever looked at your hands," he asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"
Slowly i opened my hands and stared down at them.
I turned themover, palms up and then palms down.
No I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.
As he smiled and related this story.
" Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, have they served you well through your years?
These hands, though wrinkled,shriveled and weak have been tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a child I crashed on the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.
As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.
They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war.
They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band,they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle.
Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friend's foot.
They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.
They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands that hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly, it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when He leads me home.
With my hands, He will lift me to His side and there I will feel "His hand in mine." When my own hands are hurt or sore or when I touch the face of my children, I know they have been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I too want to reach out for the hand of God and feel His hands upon my face.
Please take the time to look at your own hands. Have they done all they can for the Lord?
"Thanks to all of the folks I know who have "Worn Used Hands!"
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Life inspite of me....
I have a new favorite inspirational book! It's called Life in spite of me by Kristen Anderson
If you haven't read this book, you're missing out on an amazing story of how God can help us triumph over anything.
This book is a true story about a 17 year old girl's idea of what a relationship with God is truly about. When the book starts Kristen is feeling let down by life and she feels like she should just take her own life because she's not loved or appreciated...She does attempt to commit suicide by throwing herself on a train track...She manages to survive with severed legs...The really great part of this book isn't about how she was unsuccessful in taking her own life but discovering how much she was really worth in God's eyes and how she decided to start living for Him...Throughout the book there are letters written to us the reader giving advice on things like warning signs for someone who may be suicidal, or how to develope a closer relationship with God...A prayer that someone could say if they want to get saved...and at the end of the book there's even a letter from Kristen's mom describing how she felt and what the rest of Kristen's family went through while Kristen was healing from her failed suicide attempt.
If you haven't read this book, you're missing out on an amazing story of how God can help us triumph over anything.
This book is a true story about a 17 year old girl's idea of what a relationship with God is truly about. When the book starts Kristen is feeling let down by life and she feels like she should just take her own life because she's not loved or appreciated...She does attempt to commit suicide by throwing herself on a train track...She manages to survive with severed legs...The really great part of this book isn't about how she was unsuccessful in taking her own life but discovering how much she was really worth in God's eyes and how she decided to start living for Him...Throughout the book there are letters written to us the reader giving advice on things like warning signs for someone who may be suicidal, or how to develope a closer relationship with God...A prayer that someone could say if they want to get saved...and at the end of the book there's even a letter from Kristen's mom describing how she felt and what the rest of Kristen's family went through while Kristen was healing from her failed suicide attempt.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Just stuff!
Things are crazy in my world these days!My dad left my mom to be with another woman 35 days before their 32nd wedding anniversary and she's taking it pretty hard. But then again, who could blame her...32 years of being married to the same man is a long time to spend with someone, to have them basically throw you away like yesterdays trash.We are starting to get things lined up for how she's going to take care of herself with no income and no way of getting around...She and my dad have finally talked and he's planning on coming to get some more of his things on Saturday! He's such a liar...I went to Bankruptcy court on the first and he did nothing but lie...it's amazing how when we are kids we think our parents are some kind of super heroes that can do anything and as we grow and change we realize just how wrong we were about that...I used to have my dad on some sort of proverbial pedastal so to speak but after him doing my mom so shady I no longer have any feelings for him but resentment and animosity...maybe with time those feelings will fade, but I don't think that will be for a long while yet...I'm so angry for how he has the power to hurt my family the way he has...dealing with that anger just fuels more anger...Work is extremely busy...I shot a wedding last Sunday, have a VBS and a 52nd high school reunion this Saturday...things are just busy,busy!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Today....
Today I just want to reflect on me and where my life is going...changes are coming...I can feel them in the air...not sure if that's going to be a good thing or a bad thing...I just know something big is about to happen in my life...have you ever felt that way? I'm just curious...My baby brother is now officially part of the working man's world...he started his first job yesterday...I hope he learns to accept his new tasks...I photographed one of the most beautiful weddings this past Saturday...I'll post some pictures soon when I have a bit more time...I need a vacation...I'm yearning for the smell of the ocean and to feel the sand between my toes...I want to have salt water in my hair and a great suntan...I want to smell like a coconut...I just need an escape from reality for awhile...life has been too crazy here lately...
Friday, April 9, 2010
Welcome Spring!!!!!
It seems like Spring is finally here and it's here everywhere...I love spring because everything is starting to bloom and rejuvenate from the long cold winter...It seems like everywhere I go the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming...I'm working on getting a Spring Portraits in the Park day together so if you or anyone you know would like to get together and have you pictures taken in the park let me know!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Dear God are you there?
Dear God,
I know you have an awful lot to deal with and I'm not complaining, or telling you how to do your job, but I just feel so alone sometimes, like you're not there watching over me or my family anymore. Have we done something to make you angry? I know the bible says don't question You or Your Divine Plan. Sometimes that's so hard and this is one of those times for me. I help people when they need it, I go out of my way to make others days just a little brighter, I pray to you almost daily, and I'm the first among my friends to say that if times are hard and they have trouble lurking that You can take care of them and their worries. Here lately it seems like every story on the news is one of assault or abuse. Where's the good ones that speak of Your love and how You are the Light, the Truth, and even the Way! My family is going through some major things right now and I feel forsaken. My brother is almost 18 and I've tried to teach him about your Never ending Love but when he needs you the most it seems like you're aren't there. Please come back to us Lord. Make the things inside my brothers head leave him alone and let him have some peace Lord. He is so tallented with his music, please teach him that You gave him such tallent so that he can use it to Glorify You. Please give me the strength to keep fighting the good fight and the courage to help offer support to my brother in his time of need. And another thing why can't my nieces stay well? You can make the world and everything in it in 6 days and take a day of rest on the 7th day so I know that you can make 3 precious little girls well. I'm so frustrated right now...It just doesn't seem fair that all of these horrible people can walk around in their day to day lives completely healthy and not contribute anything positive to the world but three precious little girls and one incredibly tallented teenager who truly depict Your Light to the world can't stay well or not hear horrible voices in their heads telling them to do horrible things to people. I'm searching for answers and I can't make sense of any. Please show me Your will Lord...give me the answers that I seek, help me to help my brother, please give my sister strength to endure what lies ahead with her beautiful little girls...I know that if You bring us to it that You also will bring us through it. Please show us the footprints where you are carrying all of us...The path seems awful rocky and rough, not to mention lonely! Please help us find our way back to the path that You have laid for us.I ask these things in Your Son's precious name.Amen!
I know you have an awful lot to deal with and I'm not complaining, or telling you how to do your job, but I just feel so alone sometimes, like you're not there watching over me or my family anymore. Have we done something to make you angry? I know the bible says don't question You or Your Divine Plan. Sometimes that's so hard and this is one of those times for me. I help people when they need it, I go out of my way to make others days just a little brighter, I pray to you almost daily, and I'm the first among my friends to say that if times are hard and they have trouble lurking that You can take care of them and their worries. Here lately it seems like every story on the news is one of assault or abuse. Where's the good ones that speak of Your love and how You are the Light, the Truth, and even the Way! My family is going through some major things right now and I feel forsaken. My brother is almost 18 and I've tried to teach him about your Never ending Love but when he needs you the most it seems like you're aren't there. Please come back to us Lord. Make the things inside my brothers head leave him alone and let him have some peace Lord. He is so tallented with his music, please teach him that You gave him such tallent so that he can use it to Glorify You. Please give me the strength to keep fighting the good fight and the courage to help offer support to my brother in his time of need. And another thing why can't my nieces stay well? You can make the world and everything in it in 6 days and take a day of rest on the 7th day so I know that you can make 3 precious little girls well. I'm so frustrated right now...It just doesn't seem fair that all of these horrible people can walk around in their day to day lives completely healthy and not contribute anything positive to the world but three precious little girls and one incredibly tallented teenager who truly depict Your Light to the world can't stay well or not hear horrible voices in their heads telling them to do horrible things to people. I'm searching for answers and I can't make sense of any. Please show me Your will Lord...give me the answers that I seek, help me to help my brother, please give my sister strength to endure what lies ahead with her beautiful little girls...I know that if You bring us to it that You also will bring us through it. Please show us the footprints where you are carrying all of us...The path seems awful rocky and rough, not to mention lonely! Please help us find our way back to the path that You have laid for us.I ask these things in Your Son's precious name.Amen!
Monday, January 11, 2010
I haven't posted in a while so here goes...
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year so far...I was reading my sister Kaleena's blog posts this morning and she is so dedicated...I'm a lot more sporadic than she is...sometimes my life just gets too busy...I helped to photograph a great family group of 28 this past weekend...They were so much fun and so easy to work with. I think their pictures are going to turn out great...I possibly may go shoot a wedding in Las Vegas in April...That will be fun as I've never been on an airplaine or been to Vegas...This past weekend has been fully loaded for me...Aside from the large family group I photographed...I went to church with my dad and took pictures of him getting baptised...I took my mom to Monterey and Crossville to see 2 of her brothers and one of her sisters...It was sort of strange bc my mom's family have never been really close but it seems like as they get older they are atleast able to tolerate their differences much better...Right now one of my mom's sisters is staying with my mom at her house...she also went with us to visit the other siblings...Some of them hadn't seen each other in 10 years or more...all of us kids have grown up and started families of our own...It makes me reflect back to my own brother and sister...Kaleena and I are pretty close in age...there's just 2 yrs and 9 months between us...and we haven't always got along...what sibling group always gets along though right? However I know that if I need her she's always gonna be there and she knows the same about me...We've accepted that we're different and respect each other's opinions...but we have always loved each other...I can't imagine going 10 years without having her in my life...or watching her 3 precious little girls grow up...My brother Triston and I have a very complex relationship bc he's almost 14 yrs younger than me and I have a more maternal instinct when it comes to him...It's crazy but he turns 18 on Feb. 12...sometimes I look at him and see the man he's become and I am just taken away at how small he used to be...I miss him being little and looking at me with adoration but I'm also looking forward to seeing what he chooses to do as an adult...He's very special to me and again I can't imagine not having him in my life for 10 years...I just wanted everyone to know that you may think you have the best brother or sister in the world but I believe you're wrong because unless you are my sister or brother yours simply couldn't be the best because I already have the best...and everyone knows their can be only one and since I have the best sister and the best brother everyone else's has to rate lower...that's just a fact right!
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