Life's Lessons

This is something we should all read at least once a week!
    Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
  

  "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."
    

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
    1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
    2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
    3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
    4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
    5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
    6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
    7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
    8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
    9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
    10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
    11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
    12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
    13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
    14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
    15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
    16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
    17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
    18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
    19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
    20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
    21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
    22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
    23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
    24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
    25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
    26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
    27. Always choose life.
    28. Forgive everyone everything.
    29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
    30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
    31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    33. Believe in miracles.
    34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
    35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
    36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
    37. Your children get only one childhood.
    38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
    39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
    40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
    41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    42. The best is yet to come.
    43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    44. Yield.
    45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
    Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will, forward this with the title '7%'.
    I'm in the 7%.
    Remember that I will always share my spoon with you!
    Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

I Am Your Personal Memory Preservation Specialist and Family Historian By Dwayne Lee, M.Photog., Cr.-API

     We are all getting older, and in time, our memory has a tendency to slip a bit. That’s where I come in. I create timeless photographic portraits of you and your family – a moment frozen in time forever, a constant reminder of from where we came.

     The primary purpose of a family portrait, while helping you record precious memories of how your family looks like today, is actually a gift from you to future generations so they can see from where they came. It’s a modern day “Ancestery.com”.

     Family portraits are probably the most difficult portraits to make happen. The larger the family, the harder it is to get everyone’s schedule aligned. But even with this difficulty, it’s imperative to update your family’s portrait every five years.

     Why every five years? Let’s look at some of the important reasons:

• ·        The family make-up is very volatile. Change is inevitable.
• ·        On any given day, someone in your family could die.
• ·        Or, you might have a birth in the family.
• ·        Infants and toddlers grow exponentially in five years.
• ·        Teenagers grow into adulthood.
• ·        Marriages occur, adding new faces.
• ·        Divorces happen, splitting up families.

     There are several ways in which you can customize your family portrait.

·        The portrait can be taken in a professional photography studio, in a park, in a home, a museum, or wherever you choose.

·        Clothing could be casual, formal, or something in between.

·        While you have everyone together, in addition to the large group containing everyone in your family, you should also do breakouts:

o   Grandparents alone

o   Grandparents with their children

o   Grandparents with the grandchildren

o   Each family unit (siblings with their spouses and children)

o   Siblings and their spouses alone

o   Siblings

o   Generations by gender

o   Individuals

     One of the best ways to help create the finest family portrait possible is to have a consultation with the photographer prior to the session day. At this consultation, there are several things to discuss that will help make this not only a beautiful portrait, but an heirloom family portrait that will be enjoyed for generations to come. Here are just a few things we will cover with you:

1. ·        Clothing – colors, styles
2. ·        Where the portrait session will take place
3. ·        Time of day the session should occur
4. ·        Hairstyles
5. ·        Backgrounds and props

      The portrait session is about the half-way point in creating your heirloom image. About a week after the session, you will have an opportunity to view what was created. We have a theatre in our Studio where you will view the images on a large screen television. Seeing them this way, they are large and you are able to make a more informed decision on which portraits everyone looks their best. We can even put multiple images on the screen to compare when it gets down to making your decisions.

     Once the particular poses have been selected, the next step is to decide what sizes and finishes you want the images to be. Wall portraits, 16”x20”, make great décor in your home. The bigger your family, the bigger the portrait needs to be. But don’t worry about having enough wall space. If you have a regular size sofa, you can easily accommodate a 30”x40” or 40”x50” portrait on the wall above it. What a statement you will make about your family, too. It will become the focal point of that room for everyone to continually enjoy.

     And finally, after selecting the showcase wall portrait, you’ll be sure to want gift size portraits (5”x7” and 8”x10”) for family, friends, and albums. All of the portraits you select to be printed will be fully retouched and enhanced to help make everyone look their best.

     On a side note, social media sized digital files are available with all printed portraits.

     To start your family portrait session process, call or come by:

Ø  Southern Flair Photography

Ø  2214 W. Park Row Dr.

Ø  Arlington, Texas 76013

Ø  817.277.0477 or 214.773.1414

Ø  Website: www.sflair.com

Ø  Email: southernflair@sbcglobal.net