Characters

I'm not ok with it. Not any of it. I had just returned to the newsroom last night to file a quick story before heading home when I got the call: MVA with injuries and entrapment in Farmington. No problem, I thought. I'll dash out and snap a few photos, write a quick summary and be on my way. That's not how it played out. On this night, the deserted country crossroad — usually blanketed in darkness — was lit up like Times Square. Flashing emergency lights from hastily parked trucks were harsh and glaring — they made my eyes burn and my heart beat harder. As pulled over and got out of my van, I knew instantly that this one was going to be different. The rain streamed down and I could see portable spotlights pooling light over two mangled vehicles conjoined in a nearby field. Dozens of first responders circled the mess, forming a barrier. They weren't working, they were waiting — and barely talking. Not a good sign, ever. I paced back and forth slowly for over an hour, ...

It was one of those scenes that show up in my nightmares, but this time I was living it. I was on my way to shoot my niece’s wedding a few weeks ago — straight from work, stress at both ends of my 40 minute journey. As I drove (fast enough to irritate other drivers but not fast enough to get a ticket) I was thinking through my strategy: pre-wedding shots in the garden, quirky, fun, spontaneous, creative. Then on to the wedding — high church setting with breathtakingly modern and artful stained glass — that could be fun if done correctly. Nighttime reception would mean some outdoor shooting in the dark — could get dicey. The bride is an art major in graduate school — she knows what’s good and what’s not. Don’t screw up — this is for family. Mind racing. Anxiety building. As the miles ticked by I mentally checked my list of "must-have" shots from the bride and equipment I would need. Did I have enough batteries and memory cards (learned that the hard way). Were my lenses ...

Left to right (obviously) Rachel, Steve, Scott, Bethany, Dan, Barb, and Ryan, courtesy of my cell phone. Apologies to the others who were there. You'd thank me if you could see the rest of the photos. Once in a great while you run across someone who dares to set aside to-do lists, deadlines and responsibilities and exceeds their literal job description. Against the loud hum of "important activity," they still hear the faint sound of their own beating heart and remember who they really are and what they were created to do. Recently my newsroom coworkers and I were the grateful beneficiaries of an unexpected gesture by one such person. It was a piping hot lunch — for a crowd — delivered in the middle of a crusher day. No reason. No explanation. Just because. My colleagues blinked in disbelief at first, and then swarmed like they had just won the lottery. They had. This lunch — it wasn't a transaction between entities, it was a connection among people...

Today my Starbucks-addicted daughter and her friend strayed into a local Tim Hortons. The two got an unexpected and sweet surprise when they ran into an older couple they had never met before. (A — Why did they stray from Starbucks? and B — What age are they calling "older?" I'm hoping the couple was at least 10 years my senior. It's the only way the story works for me.) The man said he wanted to give them something, and he pulled out these two little shirt shapes made out of dollar bills. He said to them, "Now you will never be broke and will always have a shirt," and told them to dream big. One gesture — Couldn't have taken more than 2 minutes. Cost a total of $2. And now these girls will have 2 tiny momentos tucked in their wallets that will bring a smile to their faces for who knows how long. Each time they see them, they'll remember the day when two people they never met before were kind, and sweet, and gave them something better than...