out of my normal role
We all say “yes” to things and we all say “no” to things. I am in a season where I pretty much say “no” to anything that isn’t directly involved with the people (young and old) in my day to day community. As a result, I don’t go to photography conferences, I don’t attend blogging things, and I rarely speak on either of those topics (not that I have much to say about blogging other than “do what you enjoy”). I do, however, do a lot face to face with a lot of people.
Recently, I was asked to participate in a girls’ night at Restore House for the youth at my church. I lead a small group on Sundays of 9th grade girls and am so grateful for time with them. They teach me so much. Saying “yes” to sharing a few photography tips with teenagers was easy.
My time was super short, so I am not sure how much made sense. There is so much to teach, but with very little time I kept it pretty basic. Hopefully the girls learned at least one new thing. I also almost went on a women/comparison social media tangent, but reigned myself in – barely!
Whenever I do something outside of the typical roles my kids see me in, I always try to bring one along. My oldest daughter lights up when it comes to events – not so much the actual event as much all the details and checklists that go into an event. A good list is her love language. I knew she was the perfect choice to come alongside me for the night. 
These two gals below – it is an honor to know them both. Kate leads the girls ministry at my church. I’m so grateful for her wisdom and bold leadership. Elizabeth took all the photos in this post. Back when she was in high school she took the SnapShop DSLR course as a homeschooler. She is now a photographer and working on a degree in the field. It is pretty amazing to get to have played a tiny role in her photography journey. She is actually taking family pictures for us later this week – I can’t wait!
Before the evening ended I shared a little bit about my unexpected journey with photography and how God has given us each unique gifts and talents that can have incredible impacts in our communities when we lean into those gifts instead of comparing with others. If the young women in attendance didn’t learn a single thing about photography, I hope they walked away a bit more confident in themselves and what they bring to the table.
After we finished up, I took my daughter down the street for a late night pizza just the two of us. We did a little debriefing over the night. I asked her if she learned anything new. She said, “No, it was all stuff you already talk to us about at home.” I am not sure there could have been better answer. For all the things I forget to teach my kids and all the things I get wrong, it is encouraging to know in the mix of daily life the things most important to me are getting through.
