“Ella, it’s okay to be nervous” her dad told her. And this has stuck with me, encouraged me and let me breathe a little easier.
Let me explain…
This summer, this beautiful family is headed to Tanzania. Ella’s principal has given her the opportunity to speak at an assembly. She will ask her classmates to donate school supplies which she will bring with her to give to children in Tanzania. Speaking in front of crowds is not the easiest thing to do. Ella is naturally a little nervous about it. But you know what? Instead of dismissing her fears her parents have told her that it’s okay to be nervous. Instead of saying “oh it will be easy” or “it’s not that many people” they acknowledged that this task is out of her comfort zone. I witnessed this and took mental note.
Sometimes when I have something new to do I get nervous. I often have to do things that are out of my comfort zone, things that don’t come naturally to me. When I have a task that seems bigger than life, I have to break it down into smaller goals. I think Ella’s parents would tell me “It’s okay to be nervous”. Courage is not the absence of fear. This little interaction inspired me and I hope it does the same for you.
Needless to say, I loved taking photos of this sweet family at the Richmond Green Park. There were some posed moments and many candid ones.
Sweet Silas decided putting his hand on Ella’s face would be a good pose!
I love getting different groupings during family sessions like just the kids, or Mom and the kids, or Dad and the kids and later you’ll see just Mom and Dad.
Anita runs a branding and web design business so we took a couple shots of just her. You’ll notice her three little ones were very proud of their photo-bombing abilities!
The family saw a heron on the water and Silas didn’t want me to miss out! While I was taking photos of them he turned and said “Look, Auntie Jenny look! A heron!” My heart melted!
I’ll leave you with this photo of Ella to remind you of my story above. To be honest I’m a little nervous about the next task on my to-do list today. In honour of Ella I’m going to take a deep breath, tell myself it’s okay to be nervous and have courage to push forward.
Lots of love,
Jenny
P.s. If you’d like me to take photos of YOUR family you can take a look at more photos here! Contact me for packages.
