I am so pleased to share with you a new Soulumination child named Hudson. He was recently photographed by Soul photographer, Sandra Coan. He is 19 months old and had an extremely rare and canceraous brain tumor. He will soon be shown on the gallery but I wanted to show his wonderful face here today.

It was a pleasure to work with a new Soul family last Friday. We laughed and had such a wonderful time. I had heard about this wonderful graduating senior from her sister about 3 months ago and had been eager to record this vivacious and captivating young woman. She was referred to us by our dear volunteer, Claire and her mom. I am eagerly awaiting the prints as I felt such wonderful warmth radiating from this family shich included her three sisters, her parents , her nephew and brother in law.

We are currently putting together the gifts for a new Soul family that Randall recently photographed. This young father is fighting ALS and his smile and wonderful spirit come through brilliantly in Randall's work. I am hoping to visit this family with her when we deliver the photos and gifts.

I was scheduled to visit the hospital today for a beautiful baby girl that I had heard about through Sydney's family and friends. We are on hold while the medical team works through some issues but I know this little gem will be so radiant and it will be my honor to work with them. I hope that when I visit Children's next I can have a little time with dear Jessica, as its her 13th birthday on Wednesday. Her next shoot will include her sister who will be visiting during spring break. I will share the dynamic duo when the session is completed.

We are blessed to have so much support. I feel the future of Soulumination is going to show such growth and strength with all the loving comittment I see around this work. Last night I got to host 2 lovely young women who lost their mom just one year ago. They are my dear friend Sidni's nieces and I just feel that their presence helps ground me in this new work with adults. Our new volunteer Alley is coming in today and she is living example of how we can serve young people who lose their parents. We are graced also with the presence of Deb Bluestein who is working diligently to get our books under great control. In love and peace, Lynette

I have been away at my cabin taking some much needed time to be alone and do some quiet thinking. We have lost two lovely babies in the past few days, Mercer that I mentioned on the last blog and now a beautiful little girl that was pictured in the Everett newspaper in a beautiful shot taken by Michael Good. Both of the families have mentioned Soulumination in their suggested places to give in memory and that is such a great honor. We will move forward to honor new families and always keep these special angels in our hearts. I am sharing another photo of dear Mercer here today.

While at the cabin I finally took time to read a wonderful book called Star Child by Jennifer Martin and a manuscript for a children's book by my dear brother David called a Dragon's Tale. Both of these readings brought tears for the accomplishments of these special people, to put words from your heart into the world is such a moving thing. I am so proud of both and I feel that many will be moved and healed in different ways from these lovely efforts.

The work party here last week is still so fresh in my mind. Everyone who came was special and so very much was accomplished. Many attending brought paper that was so fresh and beautiful that the new albums and trifolds will be wonderful to present. Its always fun when summer starts to approach as it brings my friends from Japan who supply us papers that wow us everytime. These gift to the families are such treasures that I want to be sure that everyone who has a hand in the creations knows that they make a difference with the gift of their time and talent.

We welcome Tammara Stroud to Soulumination as our newest helper, she will be working a few hours each week and will be coordinating the December artist show and sale along with volunteer and wonderful artist, friend, Kari Bishay. We hope the finances of this event will be handled by our long time supporter Amber Wong. Amber has stuck with us from the beginning of Soul and we know that she would be amazing to head this task.

Big news is that our attorney and friend, Heather Roy is drafting a letter to the IRS explaining the new course of Soulumination. Since we had already outlined future work with adults in the first application, we do not need to reapply and can move forward with this phase of the project. Our newest board member, Randall Whalton completed a shoot on Friday for a family and we can now present gifts and the shoot through the foundation. I am thrilled. We are meeting with all the Soul shooters on Thursday and will move into this new phase with incredible support and outstanding local talent.

Today I say a public farewell to a dear baby boy named Mercer. I met this little guy a few weeks back at Children's and I am so sorry to say that he has passed away. He is a twin and also has a wonderful older brother. His parents are such warm and caring people that I felt so comfortable and welcome in the hospital setting. I was honored to present Mercer's mom the bracelet that is a gift from the foundation while we were both visiting Charlotte during her hospital stay last week. I will be out of town during Mercer's memorial service but my heart will be with them. I am sharing two photos with you today, one of Mercer with his dad and his twin and the other of Mercer yawning that makes me smile. There was something magic about Mercer and I know that his presence will remain fresh in so many hearts. In having met this family I realize that this work is surrounded by grace. Please keep them in your hearts as we can imagine that the days, months and years ahead will find them missing him sorely.

Tomorrow I speak to the Washington Funeral and Cemetary Directors Conference in Redmond. A number of our Soul families have given me words of advice to share and I feel honored to be asked to help the people attending this conference in understanding how to better serve families.

I will leave tomorrow to spend some time at our cabin, but right now we are preparing for our biggest work party yet. We will be making the albums and trifolds that are gifts to the families, creating more of our lovely 'Sydney' cards and cutting out fabric to make the covers for the trifolds. We are also welcomming a new volunteer today from Bellevue High School, Alley. She is an aspiring photographer and has experianced a recent loss. We are so happy to welcome her to the work of Soulumination. Today we also had the pleasure of help from Alison our wonderful helper that is a premed student at the U. Its great being surrounded by young talent and tonight promises to bring Brenna and Alexandra and tomorrow Claire.

I close as always, in love and peace, Lynette

Its been a week of hanging onto hope and realizing that acceptance is another key to growing in this work of Soulumination. I spent time at Children's Hospital yesterday without my camera, which is a new situation for me. My dear friend Charlotte is an inpatient right now and I got to spend time with her always amazing mother, grandmother, aunt and great uncle. Charlotte's family is built of love and devotion and to see them all surrounding her with the magic of all this is so beautiful. But the moment that moved me even more was when another Soul mom came down from the Intensive Care unit to have some time with Charlotte and Angie. To see these two utterly beautiful Soul moms embracing and crying was a sight that will stay etched on this heart. Angie has a way of helping others while being so attentive to her own daughter. This new friendship is on built on Angie's volunteering to advise and guide other parents of newly vented children. Please keep these two moms in your hearts as their current journeys are so rough. Charlotte having recently starred in our new documentary film, Portraits of Hope, is such a fighter that I am holding huge hope that she will be in her loving home soon and that my own husband will be visiting shortly to advise on some changes to Charlotte's room.

I want to salute our wonderful supporter Sandi Lappano. She has worked tirelessly for us promoting the Husky Nation CD. She moves forward quietly but purposefully and always with a radiant smile. She is now working to introduce me to the new young quarterback at UW. This young man was recently featured in a beautiful story in the P-I about his friendship with a little boy who has a brain tumor. Sandi tells me this young man is incredibly talented in football, but that he is a human being of the highest quality. I will hope he is willing to lend a little hand to move the Husky Nation CD forward.

In addition to her work with Husky Nation, Sandi was the person who recommended us as the highlighted foundation at the fundraiser last night that was put on by an amazing organization called W2O. This group of four women hosted an event last night that knocked me out. Board members Lori Sawyer and Kelley Myers both attended and we agree that these women have a model for fundraising that is so unique and well planned that we must integrate it into other communities and neighborhoods. They invite women to a lovely evening with some food, dessert and wine and just let them mingle and have a wonderful evening, but they suggest a $25 donation to the cause they have selected. They have informed me also that they will write each attendee a thank you note. The beautiful home that we visited was filled with women within minutes after our arrival and the love and support was so touching. I spoke only briefly but dozens of women spoke with us and gave input and told us that they had been invited and liked the idea so much that they had brought friends. To be at a fundraiser that everyone in attendance really wanted to be included was novel instead of that dragging of husbands and friends to something that is going to be just another in a long line of dreaded commitments was so amazing. There was no pressure to out bid or out shine in any way and the guests were laughing and having such a wonderful time. It was amazing to see two of my former brides and other clients in the mix and to realize how many people attended dear Blake's memorial and how many people know my vivacious and inspiritng friend, Lisa Files.


I show Lisa and I here today in a photo taken recently by her sister, Andrea. When I met Lisa she was bald from her chemo that was fighting off her breast cancer and she is a woman that moves me to my core and has helped inspire me to move forward with the expansion of Soulumination. Lisa was instrumental in bringing dear Ellie Jo and Marin into the 'family' of Soulumination. I am pleased to say that our wonderful attorney, Heather Roy thinks that we will soon be set with the IRS to move forward with the new direction for Soulumination where we will work with parents that are at the end of this life's journey as a gift to the children that will be left without this parent.

We will soon officially welcome Randell Walton to the board of Soulumination. She has been doing work with hospice groups and will help to move us forward. Randell's presence is already treasured by Sarah and myself and I so look forward to officially moving her onto this board. These next weeks are very busy as we have a work party here next week, I speak at the Washington Cemetary and Funeral Workers conference, we are having a meeting of all the Soul photographers, the newsletter is close to being completed, we are waiting to hear about 2 new Soul children and we have a board meeting in April as well as my speaking engagment at the End of Life Care event in Bellingham and the presentation with Sarah Mattingly at the National Tay-Sachs and Related diseases conference. I will let you know when the documentary, now called Portraits of Hope, is accepted into the SIFF and when and where you can view this wonderful piece by Jon Ward and his voluteer crew. So after all this news, I want to remind you to hold our families in your hearts and I close as always, in love and peace, Lynette

I am very excited to get to have a viewing of the documentary film tomorrow evening. I am putting up this short blog to share a few more photos from the filming time, one with my pal Victor and the other with Charlotte's family. Jon has given me such a precious gift of these photos.

Our wonderful board member and newsletter editor, Lori Sawyer, is joining me on Friday for a very special fundraiser on the East Side. There will hopefully be around 100 women who attend and they are coming in support of Soulumination. It will be an honor to meet some new people and to have time to chat about the work of the foundation. I am so hopeful that lovely Marin's mom will be able to attend.


I have been in touch with Brenda who keeps me informed of how dear Julie is doing as the days wind down in this life for her. I know we are nearing the end and it's hard to think of my beautiful friend no longer being with us. I mailed her a little collage today of a few shots from her living memorial. I will miss her and I salute her.

I am also posting a shot of my dear McKenzie with my birthday mate and great friend Anne Cunningham from the recent celebration that my husband hosted. I am sure you can tell it's all about visuals today. I have been a bit down, and sharing helps to lighten the spirit. In love and peace, Lynette

I have dreamed of a documentary film of the work of Soulumination and the first one has just been filmed by one amazing man named Jon Ward and his wonderful crew. He is participating in a contest for a documentary film festival in Toronto. One hundred film makers around the world were given a topic on Friday which must be filmed in four days. He called on Friday at 1:00 to ask if we would be interested and arrived here at 3:30 that day to do the first filming. Last night he and his crew spent time with me at Charlotte's home and tonight were here with me in my studio with Victor and his parents. I will get to view the end result sometime late on Tuesday after the finished piece is mailed in on Monday. One of the hopes is that this five-minute documentary will show at the next Seattle Film Festival. Keep this project in your hearts and let's hope Jon wins for his work on such a sensitive and heartfelt subject. I am showing a couple of photos he was gracious enough to take for me after he finished filming Charlotte. In a few days I will get to share photos of myself with my pal Victor. When I opened the disc of the photos he had taken of me with Charlotte, I got a bit of the feeling that our Soul families get when they receive their images. I will treasure these images.

I met a new young man at Children's this past week and had such a fun time. I left laughing and knowing that his little guy is one heck of a fighter, and that there is every reason to think he will beat cancer a second time. After this wild and fun shoot I got to visit my lovely skateboarder friend, Jessica. Wow, she is another one who has spunk and fire and is forging through her second bone marrow transplant. She looks great and was playing her ukelele. Keep Jess and her mom in your prayers- this is a request coming directly from them and I know I can count on Soul supporters to follow through.

Just a week ago my dear husband hosted a celebration here in Ballard at which I was thrilled to get to tell some of the women in my life just what they mean to me. This studio is still vibrating with love and support and I will never forget that thrill of having my daughters with me to experience such open caring and sharing. I am indeed blessed.

Almost daily, new volunteers offer their support. We are so thankful for all of you. Nothing goes unnoticed, and whether you help as a photographer, or at one of the work parties making the beautiful gifts, or if you write grants for us, sit on the board, write thank-you notes, give cash donations, give inkind donations, or come in to help out in the office, you are loved and you make a difference. In love and in peace, Lynette