For USA readers, yesterday was Thanksgiving – I spent the day with family, being thankful for so much. For the international readers, I hope you joined in yesterday, or perhaps will join me in some thankfulness today.
Front and center on my list of things to be thankful for are: health, family, and community. Health makes the whole thing possible; family–immediate and extended–gives me the daily dose of what love really means, as well as the strength to live a full life; and community–my friends, my amazing staff, co-collaborators, and you–make it all so exciting, rich, and inspirational beyond my wildest dreams. All these things are wonderful and worthwhile things to celebrate.
Within the always-humbling, sometimes-overwhelming presence that this community has in my life, I draw an immeasurable amount of inspiration and motivation. It’s continually shocking for those times when I receive your thanks or kind words, because in my head, our roles are reversed – I feel like the one who clearly derives the most benefit from your participation in this constantly growing community. Words here cannot extend a big enough thanks to you.
Let me take a moment to thank a small handful of friends, collaborators, organizations that have for some reason or another recently made an (another?) impression on me. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a short one that is present for me at the moment. They are all, in some unexpected ways, not to be missed:
NON PROFIT ORGS
4Culture.org
Blue Earth Alliance
Help-Portrait
MUSIC
Head Like A Kite
Victor Shade
Say Hi
Fences
Shabazz Palaces
GOOD PEOPLE
The Superformula
Ace Hotel
Vince Klimek.
Matt’s In The Market.
Foodista
Small-Lot Wines
Mike Horn
Build LLC
Theo Chocolate
Lastly. If you feel inclined to, please share in the comments section below something you’re thankful for. Anything sincere–and this is not just for the USA folks. It might be a USA holiday, but gratitude is worldwide. I’ll select a handful of comments and send you a signed book or something else to show my thanks for your sharing.
Oh, and I always love this reminder: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward Have a great weekend.
Hi Chase:
I’m thankful for my daughter, who is happy and healthy, and full of humor, kindness, and love. She has shown me what it means to love unconditionally. I’m so blessed.
I’m grateful for my health so that I can care for her properly.
I’m thankful that after seven years of being a single mom and working while going to school, that I am actually about to finish my four-year degree. It’s been a difficult journey, but I feel fortunate that I will be able to have the experience of a formal education behind me. Two more weeks!
I am thankful for clean water to drink and a job that puts a roof over our head, food on the table, and a few dollars in my pocket. It’s this ‘regular job’ that provided the ability to get my first DSLR and keeps the internet connection in my home so I can browse sites like Flickr or blogs like yours and be creatively inspired anytime I choose to be. I realize how lucky I am to have this.
I’m thankful for the community art school in my city that provides art and photography classes for children. I’m grateful for this because I know in a couple of years, my daughter will not have art in public school anymore and all of the focus will be on standardized testing. I have her enrolled in this art school now and will keep her enrolled for the years to come. This way I know she will never be devoid of an artistic outlet. She has expressed a great interest in painting and photography (she loves her Nikon Coolpix!) so I feel it’s important to keep her engaged for as long as she is interested and this school provides a way to do that.
I’m grateful for the joy that photography has brought to my life. I have so much to learn yet, but it’s blogs like yours….and Jasmine’s….that keep me motivated to learn and expand my knowledge. Photography really has changed my life and it’s something I try to do each and every day.
I’m thankful for my family and my friends – both near and far – that bring joy to my life each and every day.
And…..thanks fo you….for encouraging us to post here, create ‘out there’, and live the life that we’re meant to live.
Alanna
Orlando, FL
Just wanted to add to my post. Thanks, Chase for the link to Help-Portrait. I signed up to volunteer for the next three weekends for Help Portrait Central Florida and I wouldn’t have even known about it, if not for your link. My daughter is coming with and we’ve very excited to help out 🙂
That’s it. Thank you!
REPOST FROM FB– I am thankful to God, for my friends, and for the open mentoring community of photographers I have found who have enriched my photo education and have inspired me via the internet like no other medium could do.
I’m thankful that I’m Canadian, so we already did our thanking a few weeks ago. I’m also thankful for the D7000 and my amazing wife for letting me buy one.
I am thankful for the hope that burns inside. For days when you take a moment to stop and listen to the world buzz around you, and in that same instant you gather a deep breathe of fresh air in your lungs, and think, I’m happy to be alive and well.
I’m very thankful for You, Chase. I am a very sincere fan of your work and your personality. You help others by being you, and in turn they go on to help themselves and others be good people.
Happy Thanksgiving USA.
Warm regards,
-Sherry Fagan
Newfoundland, Canada
A beautiful World…and the capability to explore it.