My dear friends were over from Japan for part of the summer and my husband built their twins (two sets, boy/girl) a lemonade stand. Those precious little ones held a lemonade sale to benefit Soulumination and they presented us with over $50.....we used some of those funds today to mail a new Soul family their prints and a few gifts. I have been photographing these little ones since shortly after birth. This effort by ones so young touches my heart and fills that sad place that was building with the loss of Serena Joy, Benny and my mother in law, with hope and love. Their wonderful parents were also generous monitarily and with amazing papers from Japan.

Tonight I had a little work party of some of my dearest and most talented friends. We used the Japanese paper to create the trifold that every family receives as well as new albums that will be our latest gifts to the families. We have received enough donations to purchase the pages we needed for these very incredible albums that my dear friend Susan has spent hours learning how to create. The pages should be ready soon so we will be able to give them to the new families. I am so blessed to have the help of so many loving supporters.

We are now without our amazing interns, Auni, Daniel and Jill. They were so helpful that it is so hard here without them. We hope to start with a paid employee one day a week. I am so excited to think that we will have at least one day that I can step back a bit and try to get caught up and ready for the move. If we are slow responding this week, forgive me, I have no free time and I am trying hard to keep ahead of the work.

We are getting ready to start the move to the new office, our phone and emails will remain the same, but the address will be 5201 NW 11th Seattle, WA 98107, starting September 23. I am so excited about this new space, can hardly wait to share it with clients and friends.

Taking stock of the blessings in my life as its been a long day of love and caring with my mother in laws memorial in Port Townsend. It was so wonderful to have both daughters with us today which meant all the grandchildren were able to attend the service. Wonderful to see the loving support of so many people. I am very sad to arrive home to the news that our wonderful Soul boy, Benny passed away unexpectedly. I am attaching his photo and many of you will recognise him from the Today show airing. My heart is so heavy thinking of his wonderful parents. He was a joyful little guy and you couldn't help but smile at a face so full of charm. The work of capturing these children on film is something that comes naturally to me......learning to cope with the sorrow of their loss is something that totally escapes me........reminding myself as I close this sad missive that I was the one who said that doing something good wasn't always easy.........my thanks to the staff at Children's hospital that introduced me to such a wonderful little boy. In sorrow and in hope, Lynette

I have always been blessed by having many supporters who work at Microsoft and today we are now part of the matching funds and giving campaign through Microsoft. It looks as though a new friend and supporter is rounding up some working capital for us through his program.
Receiving the 501c3 designation opens new doors to serve the families without so much worry about funding. Today one of my new clients and amazing new friend and supporter offered support generously and has made efforts to help with staffing and a fund raiser before the show in October. She and her new husband have seen the mission clearly and have opened their hearts in love and generosity. I thank them and I am honored by their compassion. Tonight as I edit the latest photos for a Soul child, I do it with memories of the tears of love this wonderful supporter shed today as she gave so generously........I hope she and her husband are blessed with the sweetest dreams tonight.
I thank also especially those who are giving in honor of my mother in law, Lainie Johnson, so very touching. Also, your lovely messages have been so very heart warming in this time of loss. Yesterday we received an amazing hand made card with the following quote by Kahlil Gibran: "When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you will see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."
I am attaching a photo of a recent Soul baby that we lost just 5 days after the photos were taken. I thought she was such a beauty and both her parents were so tender and so loving. I am so pleased that they have agreed to let us include her images in the show and on the web. We received a donation in Serena's honor from the women who were ther mom's care givers in childbirth, seems so very thoughtful of these women.

We received our 501c3, we are now officially a nonprofit with public charity status and contribution deductibility and the effective date of exemption is April 8 of this year.......It normally takes months to receive this so we are blessed tonight and it opens doors for grants!.....Just another sign that we are on the right path and that the angel babies guide the work in ways that amaze me. I opened the envelope on returning home from the most lovely wedding.....what a thrill to take my passion to new heights.

I am so thankful to Heather Roy, our current attorney, Dana Reid our attorney provided by my wonderful friends Paul and Suzie Wycoff, Amber Wong who lovingly worked until it was a perfect form, and my board members who had the ultimate faith to see this through.

The calls and email are still coming from the Today Show airing....truly amazing how people open their hearts to this project....every wedding I attend I am approached by guests asking if I am the woman they read about or saw on TV.....I thank each person who had a hand in telling the story.

We are working hard to put together a great show of the Soulumination Collection on October 30 with a lovely opening planned. There is still much to be done but we have offers to help with the physical work and a sponsor in the works.

I will soon add new photos to the gallery and to the blog, just waiting for the signed releases. I have 2 lovely babies that I will introduce you to a boy and a girl so watch the sight in the coming weeks....

I am honored that my husbands family has asked that donations be given to Soulumination in honor of my mother-in-law whom I wrote about in the blog before this.......I was touched beyond words that the first donation came honoring 2 Lainies in my life, my neice who this project is dedicated to and my mother in law.....but to top it off it came from baby Lanie's other grandma. Believe me that brought me to tears.

Thank you for the loving support, Lynette

This morning finds me up early as we got a call that my beloved mother in law passed last night. We all adored her and she showered us with love and affection in the way only Lainie could. I have worked with 3 families in the past six days and realize how much she would have loved this project. Unfortunately she was not able to take in this kind of information and now I think of her upbringing as on only child of a Lutheran minister and I fully know that she would have loved and understood this project in so many ways. She would also have been showering Doug with much deserved praise for the new studio, office and living space he is building for us ---no one championed her children better than Lainie. The work of Soulumination is dedicated to her namesake, baby Lanie. She is pictured her with our daughter Llewelyn in a shot that shows her loving nature so clearly.

The emails from the Today show airing keep coming and I am so thankful that the message is out there loud and clear. I had the amazing experiance of some guests at Sundays wedding asking to have their photo taken with me, goodness there is humor in that request as all who know me must be chuckling at that one since there could be no one less likely than myself for such attention. As I say, I am just the vehicle to tell the story of how to honor and love these families, the story is not about me.

My heartfelt thanks to those of you who have given financially to support this project, with so many shoots this week, 3 in six days, the funding is crucial.

Today we welcome a new intern and are so thankful for her help. The current interns have worked tirelessly in this office and I am so thankful to TIPS Foundation for bringing them to us. This morning I will receive beautiful notecards created by a new friend with lovely calligraphy. Also, my wonderful friend Cory of Bogle Productions is burning the DVDs that will spread the word of the project with the images so beautifully arranged by my assistant Daniel MacDonald. Museum Quality Framing is working on framing the prints for the show and they look wonderful indeed. Karen Trimble of Got Çharm is lovingly providing beautiful jewelry for each mom. I have a wonderful friend on the Mariners who signed baseball cards for me to give to the older children and their sibs of this project, just a little much deserved treat. So today as I remember Lainie, I count my blessings and realize that her spirit of love shines through in many ways and I am blessed to have had her. Goodbye to one whose heart was so purely loving, Lynette

It has been one week since the airing on the Today Show and I am still not caught up with all the emails and calls. I try to answer each message with a personal reply and have had to prioritize. The inquiries from photographers who are offering their skills take the longest to answer as there is so much to say and the work so precious that it takes me a while to get to each of them. The hearts of a nation obviously moved by the work and I again thank anyone involved in the creation of the piece for their tender handling of the project. My board, volunteers, interns, family and friends have risen to the occassion and been such a source of help and stength.

I visited a new Soul family yesterday and had the honor of recording their beautiful son. They are another family that melts your heart with its purity and grace. The love and pain so powerful that it makes me marvel at their compassion and unconditional love. This family came to me through a loving friend named Barbara who contacted me after seeing the Today show. I visit another family on Saturday to record their daughter, their contact being the pallliative care staff at Children's who have been my mentors and guides throughout this project.

I am deeply moved by the outpouring of interest and am struggling to find the answer to funding all the pieces. I can feel there is are so many people deeply moved by the work and by the families that I trust that help in this area will be coming soon. As I have said before, each donation is used wisely and lovingly, each dollar going to make this foundation serve the families and education. My time and efforts are totally given free of charge. We are still hopeful of getting a wonderful sponsor for the show at St Marks in October and I hope you are saving the date of October 30 for the opening.

I am attaching some photos from the award night in Dallas when the EWomenNetwork foundation gave me the honor of Humanitarian of the year and surprised me with Alice, Dave and Henry Adams, one of our beloved Soul families to present the award.

We are moving toward completion of our new studio, offices and living space in Ballard....we are waiting for the address from the city, but we sit on the corner of 52nd and 11th. Our current home has sold to a lovely couple and we are so thankful that all is moving ahead so beautifully. We will be completely moved by September 22 and hope to start moving the office on September 1.

Blessings, Lynette

I am so moved by the piece on the Today show and I thank everyone who had a hand in the work that created it. I am now trying to answer each email and phone call and it is amazing to read the stories and the messages from around this country. they show that the need is so great and loss so widespread.

I have heard from phtographers who are willing to help, but am hoping someone will alert some wonderful photographers in the Milwaukee and Dallas areas as we have a family in each that would like some lovely shots and at this time my schedule will not allow a trip in the time frame needed to capture these wonderful children.....if you of a talented shooter in those areas with a big heart, please have them email me.

I am so thankful for those who have stepped forward with a donation. With the response to the show being so large we will put each dollar to careful use. It is so important that people remember that we are thrilled with contributions of any size, with this work each dollar counts since we are offering the work to the families free of charge.

If you know of any foundations that would consider us for a grant we would be thrilled to hear as I have an amazing grant writer on the board of directors and we are gathering information for the time when we receive our 501c3.

I am adding the lovely Elise, from New Jersey to this email....She was on the Today show and is a beautiful child living with Tay Sachs......She lives at home with a family that is outstanding in every way....the care and love radiates from them and showers Elise with amazing warmth.

Feeling so honored by the words of compassion, Lynette

Our angel babies are set to air tomorrow morning on the Today show.

Nothing like a phone call from the Today Show to kick one tired photographer into action.......working late tonight to get ready for the airing tomorrow morning at 8:15 A.M. on NBC. We had thought this would take place in September, but now realize that the beauty of the babies makes even the powers that be at NBC take notice. I am overwhelmed and delighted and so filled with gratitude that we are now able to share this project with the nation and indeed many parts of our world. This is a huge opportunity to make a lasting difference in the way grief and loss are handled in our culture. I sincerely hope this opens hearts and minds to new understanding and compassion.

I want to thank my new friend and producer Robin Sindler, this beautiful young woman went the extra mile to assure that this story would be told.....I think she actually fell in love, not once, but each time she met another one of the Soul babies. She is now part of the story and I thank her from the bottom of my heart. The interview with Ann Curry was a moment in my life I will never forget. She is everything you imagine as you watch her on air and so much more. I thank her for the suggestion of a message board for our Soulumination familes, we have that up and will be letting our familes know how to access in the next few days. Ann shared her warmth with my McKenzie and made both of us feel so welcome in a city so far from home. As I watched Ann help the crew roll up cords I knew she was a rare person indeed. The crews for the Today show, both here and in New York were exceptional, each person so obviously moved by the story, each one giving that extra effort to make this be all that it could be.

Here on the home front I want to thank Fred Moody for his insight in asking to tell about this project in the first place, without him there would be no foundation as his article in People truly set this country on fire, directly leading to the calls from NPR, Today, CNN, KING, KOMO, KIRO, Seattle Times and P-I, and so many loving volunteers and new supporters and friends. This story has reunited me with friends from Port Townsend days and with one of my first brides, opened doors to public speaking and has emails pouring in just to say "keep going". It has shown me that the gift one receives can be given to others in ways that might have meaning beyond your wildest dreams. To anyone who reads this and is one of my beloved clients, I want you to know that your letting me hone my skills on your families and your weddings lead to the day when I felt confident enough to offer this service to families at the hardest time in their lives. The support over the last 17 years is what made this possible.

The truth and depth of this airing is truly the Soul babies, the angel babies as I call them. They are the true story, I am just the vehicle for the telling. Tonight and tomorrow is about and for them. I am called to this work and will honor their lives and their families faithfully. Each new family adds to my life in ways that cause me to count myself one of the luckiest women alive. With a wonderul husband, two precious daughters, a great extended family, and friends of the highest caliber, I am blessed and I am humbled, Lynette

Today is big milestone for this mom, McKenzie turns 21 and I mark it as the day that I started photographing with a clear purpose. She is in California and I won't see her for a few more weeks but today I will dedicate my trip to Children's Hospital to her. McKenzie's arrival catapulted me into this world of recording special moments and without the presence of my two daughters I doubt I would be a photographer today. McKenzie also put together our first fundraiser at her place of work in California and accompanied me when I visited the lovely Soulumination child, Charlotte and took shots of me at work. So when the call came in yesterday's late afternoon and I had an opening to record another angel baby today at Children's I knew it was another sign that the path of this work is laid out so honorably that there is no choice but to follow with my heart open. The little one I will see today is in the same room where I visited Adam over a year ago, his amazing spirit will fill me as I think of his lovely mom and her generousity and warmth often and how she made my visiting time with Adam one of joy. So today I am filled with such pride as McKenzie is all I could dream of and so much more, and the gift of her in my life has paved the way for so many opportunities.

Yesterday I spent 3 hours at Swedish Hospital working with 5 families with premature babies. It was an eye opening experiance and took me into a world that gave so much insight into the place my friends inhabited 21 years ago while taking care of their son Janus. I dedicate the work of the project to Janus and my niece Lanie, but had never really known how it was in a NICU. The families yesterday were wonderful even in the face of all the machines and all the days that they spend watching and helping their tiny ones reach a point where they are big enough to come home. All the babies were doing quite well and you could see the journey will be long for some but with the excellant staff and care at Swedish there is so much hope for a bright future for these children. I thank Lacey Blank of the March of Dimes for allowing me this experiance and I hope to return on a regular basis as Costco has generously offered a processing and printing price that will allow the March of Dimes to have photographers on a regular basis. I am attaching a photo of my first premie, Tanner who I met right before Easter in the NICU at Swedish. His mom inspiring me in so many ways with her pure goodness and complete dedication to Tanner.

The trip to Children's today also falls on the day that we start to seat our board for Solumination. I will welcome Fred Moody, our writer, Bettijean Collins, our grant writer, and Kelley Myers, our web site genius, onto the board. We will seat Pat Kerns, our organization and financial person when she is not away for business. We are still hoping to find a few people with great insight into fundraising and the spirit to follow through with such endeavors. We have so many amazing people backing us up that I think our work will be fulfilling and effective.

We are soon to launch a message board for the parents of Soulumination as suggested by Ann Curry of the Today Show which will be monitored by Alice Adams and Sheila Ryan and offer the parents are secure place to air their struggles and triumphs in the face of such grief. Again, I thank Kelley Myers for her efforts in setting this up as she has tirelessly done work for the project since the day we met in April.

We are framing the second batch of prints of the Soulumination Collection Show through the generosity of Museum Quality Framing. We are so hopeful as a local corppration is possibly making steps toward sponsorship of the show. I try to be optimistic without counting on this to come through and just have to trust that the right thing will happen.

So, Happy Birthday dearest McKenzie. Today will be one of many emotions. I close with the same ending Mac and I always use: love you, mom