Characters

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 ...

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...