On Tuesday, I had the privilege of doing a photo shoot for a family near and dear to my heart that is moving next week. In May, this amazing family lost their sweet son, Noah. He was friends with my son, and they were in the same class together. You can read a little bit more about that here. It was tragic and shocking, and grief filled our base community as the reality of what had happened sank in. Noah was, and is, a shining light. He was empathetic and kind and all of the things you imagine a great kid to be. His loss is still felt so much throughout our community.
The Benfords are an incredible family. The strength and faith they have shown throughout the last four months inspires me every single day. The grief is inevitable, but they have not hid in the shadows or closed themselves off; they have met this difficult season head-on, clung to one another and refused to let it turn this story into a tragedy. It really is a privilege to know these people.
Thankfully, they were able to get orders very close to home in Nebraska. They will be within an hour or two of family and very close friends, and I am so incredibly happy that they will be within arm’s reach of that kind of support. Michele mentioned to me one day that she might be interested in doing some family photos before they left. We decided to get pictures done at the bench they dedicated in Noah’s honor at the little league baseball field here where he played and then moved onto a more traditional setting in the fields here on base. To honor Noah in the photos, they brought along the little stuffed frog he had carried around since he was a baby. It was a beautiful couple of hours spent together, and it absolutely fills my heart to provide them with some special memories that they can keep forever.
These pictures represent hope and transition and absolutely celebrate the abundant love they have as a family unit. I am honored to share these with you. I will never forget this session. It has inspired me to continue on this journey of providing families with special moments from this incredible thing we call life.
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