AGW Photography

I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer.  Daily, I pray that obstacles come my way or doors are made open according to His plan.  I, however, sometimes fall short of praising God and giving Him an outpouring of THANKS for my most dear blessings…the things that actually matter MOST to me.  Instead, I sometimes find myself focusing on much smaller issues that often seem meaningless in life’s overall picture.  Until recently.  And my prayers have shifted to health…family…love.

Back in early December, I was photographing an event for Woodstock Baptist Church and celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. & Mrs. Johnny Hunt at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Dozens and dozens of pastors and their spouses were invited to this event.  Without naming names, one of the local pastor’s wives pulled me aside, knowing that Lindsey and I were childhood best friends, and asked me to pray for her and her family.  Immediately, I began thinking about her unborn son.  What could be happening?

Lindsey and I had lost touch for many many years (okay…20 years)…I moved, she moved, then Facebook found us again… so I didn’t feel like I could call her and openly ask what I was praying for.  I’m not the best about praying for “unspoken prayers” because I’m a very meticulous person, but I did anyways.  Wholeheartedly.

Days later, I heard the news.  It wasn’t her unborn son, Cohen.  It’s Troy.  Her husband of two years.  His health.  Their strength.  Their love.  Their family.

I went to God with a heavy heart.  In a time of overwhelming emotion, they needed prayers.  But I also wanted to physically do something.  What could I possibly do that would eliminate a single burden from them?  Make them smile through tears?  I was immediately shown the answer.  Newborn photos.  Lindsey had approached me about months prior, but photos no longer seemed a “necessity” with piles of medical bills.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.  Romans 12:6-8

::A Note from Troy::

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

 

Words can’t express how excited Lindsey and I were to find out we were having a baby last summer.  At my age, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen.  For Lindsey, it was the fulfillment of a dream held since she was a little girl.  So we moved forward preparing for the baby. We decorated a room, bought all the gear, and even went on “Babymoon” to Asheville, North Carolina.  Then on November 29, just four months from our due date, we received some life-altering news.  I was diagnosed with colon cancer, something typically found in men much older.  It would require surgery and potentially chemotherapy.  All I could think about was the possibility of not living to meet my son and leaving Lindsey alone as a widowed mother.

 

On December 14 2011, I went in for colon resection surgery.  The surgery was fairly routine and went perfectly as planned until just a few hours later.  While in recovery, my blood pressure began to plummet and I started fading fast.  I was bleeding internally and was rushed back into emergency surgery.  It was the scariest moment in our lives and all we could do is pray!  Thankfully, God chose to spare my life that evening and bring me through the surgery.  On December 22, just days before Christmas I went home to continue recovering.  I went back to work by the first of the year and by the time this photo was taken I had made a full recovery.  There was no spread of the cancer and chemotherapy was not necessary.

 

This picture was taken on March 5, 2012 just days after Cohen’s birth.  After all we have been through, it is dear to us and represents so many things.  While I can’t share a thousand words right now, I can give just a few that are represented in this photo.  The grace of God to spare my life so that we could be together for our first family photo.  The miracle of life in the birth of our little boy. The love Lindsey and I poured out preparing this special room.  And the assurance we have in God’s perfect plan and timing for our lives.

 

Our deepest thanks goes out to Allyson for her generosity in providing these photos as a gift to our family.  Truly you are another blessing God has provided during this difficult time of our lives.  The pictures are beautiful, but even more importantly, they are worth a thousand words!