Hi friends,
I don’t know about you, but when it gets to this time of the year, it seems like life gets to be so hectic. Once we get into the second week in December, it’s like time somehow accelerates. The checklist of things to do gets longer, with shorter time to get them all done.
People are busy shopping, waiting in long lines, shopping on Amazon, mailing packages, buying supplies at the grocery store… (wow, the baking goods aisle at the grocery store was packed with people today). Neighbors dropping off gifts of cookies. Driving through the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Friends going to homes and caroling. A fruitcake might arrive in the mail. We go through the “routine” of the holidays one more time.
Of course now we apparently can’t listen to “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, on the radio but that whole thing has backfired, at least for me, because now I can’t get that song out of my mind! But I digress…
Anyway…
Regardless of your religious background (including no religious affiliation at all), it is hard to not get caught up in the magic of this time of year. People of various faith traditions observe different holidays. The days of Hanukkah have already ended, and Christmas is just about here. We celebrate in different ways, religious or not.
We say “Happy Holidays,” “Happy Hanukkah,” “Merry Christmas,”, “Seasons Greetings,” and we put a smile on our faces.
I love Christmas, but I hate how I end up feeling “rushed” through this season. I would enjoy it more if I could just hit the pause button and briefly take it all in… the memories that are being made at this moment, the family get-togethers, and everything else happening around us.
Unfortunately, sometimes it all feels like just a blur, as these times woosh past. And then seemingly in an instant, we are taking down a Christmas lights and a tree, putting away decorations, and embark on our journey into a new year.
My hope for you is that you can enjoy these holidays. Find peace in whatever way you need peace, find comfort if you are feeling lonely or have lost a loved one in the past year (I know how hard that is). If you are going through a hard time, I encourage you to do something brighten someone else’s life and I bet it will brighten your life as well. At least I have sure found that to be true in my own life.
I know this is supposed to be a blog about photography, but I honestly can’t seem to separate photography from “life.” Our life experience so much shapes how we see the world around us, and that affects the photographs we create. So my best photography advice is to see past this “blur” and photograph those special important moments you’ll want to remember.
I was listening to some of the Christmas classic songs on the radio in my car on the way home earlier, and I started feeling so sentimental as I reflected on my life, and the memories of Christmases past, and then I started thinking about how blessed I feel in my life. My photography business is more than just a business to me. Photography is something central to who I am. And words could never express how much I have grown to love all the people who have passed through my studio and through my classes over the years. You are truly wonderful people and I am grateful beyond words for you all.
Through the diversity of all of you, I have come to truly appreciate you all, especially in our differences. My friends of other faiths, I love how you live your faith. My atheist friends, I appreciate how you sometimes challenge me in my beliefs, and I am actually grateful for that. My Christian friends, I am grateful for the love you have shown me over the years.
As some of you might know, I am a Christian. Having spent the first half of my life agnostic (and sometimes atheist), I definitely can see how people come to different conclusions about matters of faith and religion. I have found a “home” in Christianity. At its core, it is what makes sense to me, and honestly it has reshaped my life so much, and my life is better for it. And my friends at my church feel more like family than just friends. I could not imagine my life without them.
An Invitation: If you don’t have a church home, or even if you don’t have much interest in “church” at all, but would like to go to a Christmas Eve Candlelight service somewhere, my church is Bethany United Methodist Church in NW Austin. If you might be interested, here is a link to the Christmas Eve Services info. If that’s not for you, that’s totally ok. I just thought I’d extend the invitation.
Regardless of how you observe these holidays, my hope is that it is something more than a “blur.” I hope you find peace.
To all of you, my friends…
I love you.
Most sincerely,
Kevin Gourley
