Tomorrow is the opening of the show at St Marks and I am sitting in my new office looking out at my courtyard that is being designed with elements of universal spirituality. I can see the tree that honors baby Adam, the stones from Jeruselum, a new Ganesh who represents wisdom, intellegence and presence of mind, and the colors on the building that have a Native American tone. The wings that will mark the entrance to my office/studio waiting to be hung, as is the prayer wheel, the offering box from Bali and over time other momentos to mark this as a place of welcome to all faiths, to honor the spirit of those who are part of my heart, and to remind me daily that I am on a path that is blessed by all who have so generously offered support and love. My husband hung the show yesterday with his sister, my great friend Sally Elliott----he commented in his usual understated and caring way that St Mark's has always been a favorite space for him and that he feels there could be no better place to hang this work for a first viewing.. I am so pleased that St Marks offered us this opportunity at this special time--All Soul's, and in their monthly pamphlet it shows a photo of Adam Brimley. It always wins my heart when someone shows one of the babies.
Last night my daughters arrived home together, Llewelyn picking McKenzie and her friend Dan up at the airport as she drove home from Olympia, what a welcome sight----they are in my eyes the essence of beauty and goodness. Their presence just the thing to put me in the mood for the opening tomorrow. They are pictured here with my wonderful niece, Lydia.
In a few more days I will speak at the Fran Norstrom Guild fundraiser for Children's Hospital and I think this show will give my speech that added spirit that will lead to a successful night for them. I am honored and blessed and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lynette

The busiest weeks of this year are upon me and unfortunately I have been a bit under the weather. I leave for NY on Wednesday late to arrive in time to photograph a wedding for a woman that I have admired for years. We met at a wedding over 10 years ago and I am delighted to be recording her special day. I fly back Friday morning and will go directly to St Marks to see how all is coming on with the hanging of the show. The next day I have another special wedding for a young man I met a few years ago as he used to canvas our neighborhood on Capital Hill and we became friends. The following day is the opening of the show and I am so excited that my 2 daughters will be here to stand beside me. Doug and I have been busy trying to get the new place put together for their arrival. The next week is filled with a fundraiser for the foundation graciously hosted by wonderful clients and the following night I speak at the Fran Nordstrom Guild Fundraiser. I am honored to help Children's Hospital in any way possible as they are such an amazing resource for the health of so many in our state and beyond.

I was honored to meet a new Soul family this past Tuesday at Children's Hospital. They are a such a warm and loving family and it was truly a pleasure to meet them and their lovely little daughter. This baby has a very charming 3 year old brother who offered many kisses for the camera with adoring grandparents standing by. I also met another lovely mom whom I hope to visit soon in Arlington. Her son is currently at Children's and we are all praying that he will be home soon and that I will be able to capture this beautiful boy and his family on film. I stopped to say hello to a mom whom I had met a few weeks ago and sadly she had received very dire news about her daughter. She is in my heart and I hope you will keep this tiny person in your prayers as I know her parents would love your support. I am so grateful to all of you who have reached out in support of this work, your loving donations make this all posssible and the families are so appreciate.

I am so sad to say that my lovely friend Joan and her family have lost a beloved sister in law. Joan and Derek are the parents of Janus who is one of the two babies I dedicate this work to and we are devistated by this sudden and tragic loss. Those that know the Reijnen's know they are such fine people and Derek's sister was an incredbile mother. Her daughters the same age as my own. My heart breaks for these young women and I know they face such sorrow. They will be cared for in the most loving manner as Joan and Derek have a way about them that puts them above the normal when it comes to caring for family and friends. We are hoping that Joan will be at the opening to honor her son, but if not I thank her from the bottom of my heart for all her effort to bring this show to the public and I know she is always with us in spirit. Today I close in honor of this wonderful woman, Lynette

It has taken me a number of days to write this blog as my emotions have been running high and strong, we lost our friend Derek on September 17. I started writing this missive a few days ago and it was just too much for me. Derek met me at the Arboretum near the frog pond, where many of you have met me for family photos. He and his family and 2 lovely friends came for photos after a visit to Children's where he was receiving platelets. It had been along day for this charming young man who arrived in his usual attire complete with his police hat and badge. I am honored that at one point he pulled out his ticket book and proceeded to write tickets. I had called my wonderful friend Dan Wilson who signed baseball cards for Derek and his brother. It felt so nice to offer these siblings a treat at the end of the shoot. Derek and his family are rare people indeed, the epitomy of unconditional love, they all left me feeling so thankful that they would allow me into their lives in this small way. Derek will be in my heart, everytime I see a policeman it will remind me of this soulful boy.

I had the absolute pleasure of sitting for an hour on Monday morning with my beautiful friend Sydney. She is eleven and was working with me to select which photos she would like to see in the show at Saint Marks. Sydney is a very talented artist and I always love to see her latest creations. She was heading to her second round of chemo later that day and was so pleased to be taking 2 close friends with her. I had the honor of photographing the first wedding she ever attended this summer and it was great to introduce her to my daughter McKenzie who was kindly assisting me that day.

I am visiting a family in Arlington tomorrow who care for 2 beautiful children 24 hours a day. That evening, Angie who is one of our Soul moms and Kelley, a board member will accompany me to the fundraiser of the Marna Bloom Fleetwood guild of Children's hospital. This will be my first official speech locally and I hope I do my families proud in sharing their legacy to raise funds for such a noble hospital........I have 3 other familes that I will work with over the next weeks. Your donations are indeed being used to offer this gift to these loving parents.

I hope to see you at the show on the 30th, in love and peace, Lynette

These days are passing so quickly as we approach the opening of the show at St Marks Cathedral. I am just starting to slow down on the wedding schedule, but am in the middle of my busiest time photographing families. I am happily shooting in my new studio and courtyard. I take more prints to the framers today. It is always special to see the babies and children so beautifully printed, thanks to my friend Shane at Moonphoto. I will start speaking about the project very soon at Guild fundraisers for Children's Hospital.

It will be my honor and priviledge to share the stories of the children with more people. I try to do my very best in that I am just the vehicle for telling the story. This past week the foundation welcommed a new assistant, Lesley and we can be reached now by phone at 206-297-0885. In setting up the phone line the man who was working with me was located in Denver and as I explained that I would like to keep the cost of the line down as it was a small nonprofit and I wanted to spend carefully with the donated funds, he asked what type of foundation it was........I started to explain and he says "oh, I know who you are, I read about you or saw you on TV"...... I take that to be another sign that this is the work I am meant to be doing.

While working with my amazing clients I have had the loveliest responses to the project. I thank all of you for your support, kindness and extreme generosity. I am so moved by all that has been given and offered. Some of you have sent the kindest words and have helped me on days when I needed a little cheering up, for that I am so grateful......it is all of you who have hired me over the years and let me hone my skills that makes this all possible. If we continue to receive donations, I will add scanning all the negatives for each family, that way they will have negatives and digital files.

I think the show will be wonderful. I am so happy to be working with Stephanie Solomon and so many other wonderful people to make this event come off well. There are so many to thank and I have you all in my heart. Both of my daughters will be attending the show along with my husband, Doug and many other family members, what a blessing that will be to have them by my side.

I visited lovely Charlotte this week and just sent a note off to Elise's parents in New Jersey. Charlotte's mom has just connected with my next Soul mom and they are off to a great friendship. I have asked Elise's parents if I could borrow their negatives one more time as with some donations coming in, I can now order more prints to expand the show for future exhibits. I am attaching photos of Elise and Charlotte as I love to have all of you getting to know the children of the project. On October 15 I will visit the next Soul family, they have 2 children that they care for around the clock and it will be my honor to record these beautiful children.

I hope to see many of you at the show, in love and peace, Lynette