April 2, 2011

Dear Friends,

What is the Scoop?
Yesterday was April 1, April Fools! I think that between the two of us we only fell for 4 different things throughout the day :) Besides the report on our "gullible personalities," we shall give you a little report about what we have going on and also what we have been up to.

On March 19th, we were very privileged to have our vendor booth at the Forest Hills Business Expo with the Ada Business Association. It was a fantastic day, very nice weather and we got to meet lots of new faces. If you would like to read more about this event and see photographs from the event, please feel free to visit our blog.

On March 28th, we had our monthly PPWM meeting. Jason Aten was there to present his presentation on "Starting Out Right." To read our update about this meeting, please feel free to visit our blog.

The last week of March we also selected our 2012 Senior Representatives. Congratulations to Jerry, Seth, Derrica, Danica, Hannah, Anna, Samantha and Keri. We are very much looking forward to working with all of you this upcoming year. Just to keep in mind, we will be offering Destination Senior Portraits in Orange County, California July 10th-14th and also in Fort Collins, Colorado also in July (Dates TBD). Please contact us for more information and also to reserve your Senior Portrait Session.

We are also very excited to be taking a trip to Detroit on Friday, April 8th to hear the fabulous Sandy Puc and Jerry Ghionis speak on their "Power of Passion Tour - 2011" specifically focusing on Wedding Photography. We will be sure to give an update and blog post about that once we return!

Images of the Month: "Lasting Legacy"

Quote of the Month:
"Family life is full of major and minor crises -- the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce -- and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul."

~Thomas Moore

I believe this quote by Thomas Moore embodies how I feel about my family. Recently I returned to the land of my roots to visit my dad, “mom”, brothers, nieces, nephews and a few treasured, and assorted friends. It was a trip to surprise my father on his 76th birthday and to spend some time face to face with the family of my birth.

I was born in Santa Barbara, California circa 1958, yes, I am vintage. I was raised with Cousins, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Great Grandparents, Great Aunts and Uncles, and a bevy of friends that made holidays, birthdays and any occasion a high state affair. Each gathering, usually at my Grandparents, was replete with stories, laughter and extraordinary food. Auntie Kay and her amazing pies, my Gammie with pot roast and scalloped potatoes, or green bean casserole on lovely, long, linen clad tables with fine china, crystal glasses and an assortment of appetizers that constantly threatened to impose on the main courses preemptive position. Fond memories….

Time has marched on and with it most of those people. Grandparents, Great Aunts and Uncles have passed, Cousins, including myself, have all moved out of state and what remains are the memories and the voices in my head of a great legacy that I was exceedingly fortunate to have experienced.

My father, Richard, is now the patriarch of both sides of my family. As a child I recall him saying to me, in reference to aging, that when he was a boy he had once asked an old man how he got so old. The old man’s reply was, “one turn of the watch stem at a time, one turn at a time.” (This was of course before the age of digital or battery powered watches.) I remember thinking at the time, “yeah, okay, that is a LONNNNGGG way off.”

May I just say, that I am ever increasingly aware, that the watch stem has indeed turned quicker than I ever anticipated, I am now older than my father was when he shared those words with me. It is even stranger to consider that I am now the “Matriarch” of my biological birth family. (The circle is now complete.) Dad and I shared some “stolen moments” of reminiscing on his birthday when, after a very nice brunch, he and I tripped down memory lane and drove around Southern California finding the homes that I had lived in as a child.

We even stopped at the last home I remember my grandparents living in. It looked remarkably as if it had not changed; only the “bonsai” trees had grown much larger. On an impulse, I knocked on the door and after a few moments was cautiously greeted by an older woman. “Hello, I am sorry to bother you, but my name is Jennifer and my grandfather, Jim Pickering, built this home. Did you purchase the home from the Pickerings?” Her reticence dissolved and she opened the door to speak to me. “Yes, my name is McNay and we purchased the home from your grandparents, are they still living?” “No”, I replied, “my grandfather passed away almost 20 years ago and my grandmother, Jen, six years ago. Would it be possible to just take a peek around?” She offered to let me go around to the backyard through the side gate. As I walked around to the backyard I did not expect nor anticipate what happened.

As I rounded the corner, it was as if someone physically grabbed me around the middle and squeezed. My breath caught in my throat and my eyes instantly welled as I was transported back in time to the beautifully landscaped lanai that my grandparents lovingly built. I half expected to turn around and see them walk through the door to greet me. I could barely speak as I looked around. “We have kept it exactly as your grandparents had it, the plants are original.” “It’s beautiful”, I whispered. We talked for a few more minutes, she gave me a hug and I wished her well.

I am so very grateful for the legacy that God has granted me through my family. Faith and trust in God, lasting relationships, a safe harbor in a troubled sea, unconditional love, a work ethic, honesty, integrity, encouragement, unwavering faith in me, humor and laughter. The quote at the beginning of this epistle tells of the ups and downs, the history of family and the etching of ones personality and memories by those called FAMILY. None embodies that word, for me, in its’ entirety better than “DAD”. My father was and continues to be my hero. He has buried loved ones, my mother included, built a top franchise, battled cancer, loved my brothers, my stepmother and I and been the rock of Gibraltar for us and many others. He danced me through my elementary years, held me through my teenage insecurities, endured my adolescent rebellion and continues to be one of the great cheerleaders participating in the game of my life. Each Wednesday night is my “date night” with my dad. On my way home from work I call him on my cell phone and just chat. I love to hear his voice.

The legacy that was granted to me by my family I have, in small part, attempted to pass on to my children. They are missing the close proximity of cousins and family, but God has been gracious to them and provided Aunts and Uncles, Grandma’s and Grandpa’s and cousins through dear friends. My husband, Greg, and I have tried, albeit not always successfully, to impart the same unwavering faith, humor, work ethic, love and all the things that were gifted to me.

My prayer for my children is that they too will find that their family, both extended, intended and appended, will etch special memories in their hearts, memories and souls. My hope is that they will become the best of all those that have invested in their lives both in our home, across the miles and just down the road. May they one day have their own stories, their own “breath taking”, unspoken, and eye welling moments to feed and nourish their souls and sustain a new generation.

What are you grateful for today? Who or what has sustained, etched and fed your soul? If they are still available… call, write, email or text them and let them know. If those people are no longer here, tell someone else the legacy they shared with you, it will keep them alive and your soul well. Blessings. Jen

Special of the Month:
Book a Family Session for May, 2011, and receive $25.00 off our regularly priced Session. Allow us to capture your family and create beautiful portraits to cherish, forever. Email us to reserve your Session at: info@jenuine-creations.com

Ongoing Specials:

We are still offering our 2011 Wedding special and also an Early Bird special for 2012 High School Seniors. For questions regarding these specials, please email us at: info@jenuine-creations.com