25 Days of Christmas - Day 9: A note on Giving

This is not a do it yourself craft, not a fun tip, trick or technique but more of something that's been on my heart over the past few weeks. So you have been warned, you can skip Day 9 and move onto Day 10 tomorrow if you'd prefer but I'd like you to read it.

I actually wrote this post the other day, it was something that was sitting on my heart and I wanted to post it but felt like it wasn't finished. Until this morning. I knew how it needed to end. So here is the Giving post.

I will be the first to tell you that I am not a giving person. I want to be but I'm selfish. At least I can admit it. I am a selfish bratty person. But I want to be better. I want to give without wanting something in return. And by return I mean give without getting something out of it, in my mind. Like the "Wow, I just did a good thing" feeling. It makes me think of that Friends episode where Pheobe keeps trying to do good without feeling good about it, like when she got stung by a bee so that the bee would feel really cool and macho in front of its other bee friends, but then she realized that it died after stinging her. I want to give to others in need and not expect to feel awesome about it. The thing about that Friends episode is that it reminds me that its okay to give and feel good about what you did. Tomorrow I will be participating in the Help Portrait Program along with thousands of other photographers and volunteers. Its something that means a lot to me. Here is what it's about, I stole this from the site and watch the video too please:

In December, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered.

Growing up we didn't have much money. My parents are divorced and between both households it was rough growing up. We were never able to have the luxury of a fancy photo until we were older and finances where better and that's only if you consider JCPenney a fancy photo studio. Looking back I wish that there had been something like this available for our family to take part in. I hound on this a lot, but photos are important. Remembering your life is important. And that is what Help Portrait does. It helps you remember your memories by photographers getting together and taking your photo and asking for nothing in return. I have a small background in Photography, but I don't plan on being there to photograph. We have enough awesome photographers here in Nashville that I don't feel like that is where I am needed. I want to be there to help out in whatever way they need me to. I just want to be there to help. I am huge sap, I cry at the video from Help Portrait maybe because I can understand some of the people who might be there, maybe because I can sympathize with them or maybe because I just can't understand what they are going through. I don't know why it is that I cry when I watch that video, but I do. I know that tomorrow what I will be doing wont be to benefit me, to make me feel better as a person, I know tomorrow will be about the people who are in need, financially, physically and mentally, those people are who need my support, my shoulder to cry on, and my strength to help them. And maybe, just maybe we can help them feel like that one day is a good day among all the things that they've been going through (both know and unknown).

That is all. Now that you've just heard my ramblings of stuff.


P.S. I just watched the video again and cried.

xo,Steph

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