Independence Day 2016
Posted on 04. Jul, 2016 by Cansler Photography.
Happy 4th of July!!!
Today as we celebrate our Independence Day, we should reflect on what it really means to be an American. Not empty campaign slogans and rhetoric but an unshakable belief and dedication to the principles of the Declaration, that everyone has unalienable Rights, rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
1. “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
~ President Harry S. Truman
2. “There is much more to being a patriot and a citizen than reciting the pledge or raising a flag.”
~ Wrestler, Actor and former Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura
3. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
World War II Director of the United States Office of War Information Elmer Davis
4. “America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine providence on behalf of the human race.”
~ Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
~ President John F. Kennedy
6. “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”
~ Author Edward Abbey
7. “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
~ Founding Father Patrick Henry
8. “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
~ Author Mark Twain
9. “If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.”
~ Founding Father Samuel Adams
10. “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
~ Founding Father Benjamin Franklin
11. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
~ President Ronald Reagan
There are those that prey on peoples fears and say America needs to made great again. I disagree, We have never stopped being great! Sure we have made colossal mistakes, blunders, miscalculations and downright stupid errors, BUT we are still the land of opportunity. So instead of saying Make America Great Again, how about Together Let’s Make America Even Better!
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Dancing With the Chattanooga Stars
Posted on 24. Jun, 2016 by Cansler Photography.
The phone rang at the studio and on the other end was one of my best clients. She said I want you to be involved with a charity that I care deeply about. The year was 1992. Over the years I have been involved in one capacity or another with The Partnership for Families, Children and Adults. For the last few years I have been creating images to help with the marketing and promotion of the annual spectacular event Dancing With the Chattanooga Stars. This year, I have an even greater connection as my very own fabulous assistant Carla Calitz will be dancing on stage with her partner Austin Garrett! It is and has been an honor to give back to the community through my time and talent. I am sure many of you have seen the billboards all over town advertising the event. We had a grand time creating images of each dancer that were unique and full of personality designed for them to use in all the marketing pieces. If you haven’t bought your tickets maybe you could be lucky and find some available. Every year it is a fun event that raises money and awareness for the Partnership and the stellar work they do. See you there, I will be the one making noise for my favorite dance team Carla Calitz and Austin Garrett! I am not supposed to be partial but I am.
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“She’s leaving home” ~ Lennon/McCartney
Posted on 19. Apr, 2016 by Cansler Photography.
My eyes were bloodshot as I looked in the mirror, god I look awful, I thought as I tried to smile at my reflection. I paused for a moment partly exhausted, partly excited, and yet filled with dread. Today was the big day! Last night there was all the last minute running around to make sure everything was packed, scrambling to find a certain pair of earrings, fighting over a different set of earrings, “you are not taking those diamond studs with you,” off to bed at 1:00 a.m. but not to sleep. Totally wired, I went over the long checklist in my head. Oh sure, we had it all written down and checked off but I might have forgotten something… How could he, I thought, my husband was sound asleep and there I was wide awake. It seemed like I had finally just dozed off when the alarm rang.
“Mom”, I was jolted out of my stupor, “let’s go, Dad has the car packed.”
Today was the day, today I was losing my little girl to college. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been a little girl for a very long time, today was different. I knew on an intellectual level that she would always be my “little” girl but somehow things would never be the same again. I wondered, “Is this the way my mom felt when I left?”
We all piled into the car after doing a last minute check. It started misting and there was silence inside the car, except for the swish of the wipers and the hum of the tires. No one wanted to talk and I was alone with my thoughts. A wave of sadness gripped me and my eyes started to water, I stopped myself. This is silly I thought, I have a wonderful daughter, it isn’t like she is saying goodbye for good. I smiled to myself and tried to remember something I had read only last week about how to deal with “losing” your child to college. There was a list. Now what were they?
1. Give yourself permission to grieve. Internally I started laughing, wasn’t that what I was doing. It felt strange being so torn up but somehow it was comforting to know that others had obviously felt that way too.
Now what was the second one? Hmmm…Take time for yourself.
2. Take time for yourself. Ha, that certainly hadn’t happened yet. Oh well, next week I will have the house all to myself. Once again I felt my eyes start to water. Stop it, I told myself. I will be like Scarlett O’ Hara, I’ll think about that tomorrow!
3. Stay in touch, at the same time, don’t overdo it. Give them space. Really? How the heck am I supposed to do that? If I call her first thing in the morning, at lunchtime and at 6:00 p.m. that won’t be too much, will it?
4. When they come home for breaks and holidays make it enjoyable, so they want to come home! Avoid nagging or scolding. Sitting there as the miles clicked by, remembering our yelling, no I mean loud “discussions”! Isn’t that part of my job description, to mold my daughter into a responsible adult? I sighed, being a parent is so hard.
Maybe I had done a pretty good job after all. I grinned thinking about how proud I was when her cross country coach took the time to call me and share how my amazing daughter had stood up for and defended the slowest girl on the team when a couple others had been belittling her. Yes I am lucky I thought. I remembered the next item from the list.
5. Look on the bright side, your children are healthy, growing up, and taking steps towards a future full of possibilities that you helped create.
6. Let go gracefully, your kids will be grateful, even if they don’t say it. This last one I knew would be the hardest to do. She is her own person and has been, although I knew things would be changing. I can’t always be there to take care of her but I can do what my mother did, always be available when she needs an ear to air her troubles to, a shoulder to cry on when the inevitable broken heart occurs, and to always encourage and guide her when she asks.
I turned around to look at Sarah, she was looking out the window with the soft light of dawn making her face glow. I was shocked that she wasn’t texting! She turned towards me as she saw me looking at her. Our eyes locked and in that moment a vast sea of words unsaid passed between us. I couldn’t help it as I choked out, “I was just thinking how proud I am of you and how much I am going to miss you.”
“Ah, mom don’t cry. I’m only going to be 2 hours away.”
It was then that I knew exactly what my mom had meant when she said, “When you have kids of your own you will understand how hard it is to let go.”
