Colby came and sat on my stool that day. I remember him because two teachers had to hold his arms and help him stay seated. I remember him because he was the only student facing the opposite direction from all 750 other students. I remember him because he smiled for a brief moment and as quickly as I could, I pressed down my shutter twice.

I went about my job and packed up after a three day shoot. A week later I returned to the junior high school to deliver the proofs. Then in the afternoon I received this message: 

"Hi Karen. I just got my son's pictures (the proofs) from school. These have to be the best pictures I have ever seen of him! Colby is almost 13 years old with severe autism, nonverbal, ADHD and has epilepsy. It's hard for most photographers to catch a good picture of him. I guess he was in a great mood that day and you caught him at the perfect time for the perfect picture! We are really excited and can't wait to finally have a good picture to order! We don't have many pictures of him so it's awesome and I love the green background on Pose 3, it's going to make a great Christmas picture! We can finally make a simple collage of pics of the entire family and throw them together for a Christmas card! It means more to us than you'd ever know! I couldn't wait to contact you after I saw the proofs and the photography name on the form. I can tell from your Facebook page, that it's not just a job to you and the business is so much more. Thank you and I hope you'll be able to do spring pictures too!"

I can't hold back my tears as I write this. In fact, the more times I read it, the more I cry. This is the entire reason I do what I do in the way that I do it. I am beyond humbled by the words of this mother's heart. Thank you, Amy, for reaching out to me!!!