D'Angelo Family | MIDLOTHIAN, VA

(October 2021)

"Full disclosure- I'm a little bit distracted," she said in our email exchange. "I lost my dad very suddenly last week, and I'm finding it difficult to focus on all the details right now." Wendy and I had been planning her family's session for over a month, but I reassured her that we could absolutely reschedule- that I couldn't imagine all she must be processing and feeling. Surely a photo session was one of the last things on her mind. "I don't want to reschedule," she said. "I know it'll be forever until we get around to doing this again and this session has suddenly become more important to me now than ever." There was a sense of urgency and clarity in her response.

It's true that probably many of the details from the last few weeks have become fuzzy and worn around the edges for her, because grief tends to move through us in this way. And if I had to guess, I'd say that Wendy already knew this- but she also understood that grief and love are inextricably intertwined. So for that sliver of time, I was able to tell her not to worry about anything other than just loving on her boys, and to let me take care of looking out for the little bits and pieces and details that she'll hopefully be able to hold on to for a lifetime. It was such an honor to be with this family- even during one of the hardest weeks they've known, just look at this love!