Growing through Grief...

This past year or so has been a lot for all of us; for me personally, the unexpected deaths of two close family/friends rocked my world, and for a while it felt like it was all crumbling down...one of which, was to be the bride of a wedding I was shooting the following summer. When the time for the wedding came around, it was no longer the marriage of two beautiful people, but the loss of such a wonderful soul that we were all gathering for. The weeks and days leading up to the event, I was filled with dread. I was starting to realize that I had put my feelings of grief on hold to simply make it through each day. It felt like the world was against me for a while, and I was constantly waiting for the next shoe to drop. Bad news after bad news, for months on end. But on the day of the wedding/celebration of life, something shifted. I had still brought my camera, in the hopes of capturing some beautiful moments of the day. Due to the pre-made arrangements for the wedding, we had a celebration of life like none other, with all of those in attendance sharing in our grief and loss, yet also being there to comfort and provide joy of the shared love that we had for her. I was able to process in my own way, the loss that I was feeling deep in my heart, while also capturing such wonderful, heartfelt sharing of memories, warm embraces, laughs and smiles while reminiscing. It all felt so unfair with such a great loss, yet when we had everyone gathered to share in the love of the moment, it was simply an astoundingly glorious thing. I am thankful to have found what helps my soul to glow brighter, and each day I get to wake up, I strive to remember such and live life to the fullest.