Last night I had the honor of volunteering my time and talent to help out the organization Gateway here in Birmingham. They hosted a dinner at the McWane Center where they thanked over 100 local foster parents that are housing hundreds of children in need and making them feel loved, known, safe, and worthy of being loved. While the parents were honored during a nice sit down dinner with awards, speakers, and door prizes the kids were able to play in the McWane Center and have 2 hours of fun with their friends and an army of volunteers making sure they were safe as well as encouraged and loved. The joy on their faces as they played, learned, and were lifted up by the volunteers was unreal and so humbling.
I had the opportunity to go around and take photos documenting the event from the kids perspective and I loved every moment of it. Watching them interact and run freely in the center brought my heart more joy than I could have anticipated. When I got there I came in with a less than dazzling attitude after a rough day and a whole lot of emotional weariness. All I can say is that seeing these kids and knowing they have been through so much, some of them more than I could ever imagine really put my life into perspective.
Before we went to leave for the night I snuck upstairs to where the parents were and caught the tail end of the awards being given out and watched at two foster parents in particular were honored. They had taken in two children from a rough background who when they came to them hadn’t been in school and couldn’t even write their own names (even though most at their age could easily do this and so much more). Instead of giving up on them or leaving them in their circumstances they went above and beyond to teach, support and love these sweet kiddos. As the mom walked up you could see her sobbing from love for these children and you could tell she loves them with her whole heart.
This. This is what it’s all about for me. Capturing the moments in life where love is plain to see and documenting those moments for everyone to remember and cherish. Life isn’t always pretty, it isn’t always fun and it definitely doesn’t always go our way, but those moments of love make it worth it. I want to capture more love to remind the world and those in it that they have worth, they have value, and they have so much more beauty than they could ever imagine. Your life matters to the world and you are important. If you’re reading this please never forget that your life has a God given purpose.
Blessings,
Katie
P.S. For the safety of the children and parents I could not include any images from the event, so instead this image felt appropriate from the Outcry Tour’s stop here in Birmingham. See more of the Outcry Tour here.
