Love can conquer all odds

The past few months have really re-validated to me the reasons I chose photography as my calling in life. The importance of a photograph and not only that but a good photo session. It is so important to capture the moments to look back on such wonderful memories. Quite a few months ago I had a wonderful friend adopt a special needs child. She, her spouse and her kiddos did wonders for this little man. Boy has this little man thrived! He has come so far from where he was when they first brought him home. They got a compassionate reassignment to be closer to a doctor that could take care of his needs. I had offered a completely free photo session in celebration of their new son, which was never fulfilled due to schedule conflicts. Not even a month after their PCS a devastating tragedy stuck their family, and her husband died in a helicopter collision during a routine training exercise. This piece of news, hit way to close to home. It was my first experience of a friend losing a spouse. As a military spouse we never think that, even though their "Boots are on the ground" it doesn't mean that things can't happen even when they are not deployed. I cried, I prayed, and cried some more a lot over the last 2 months! The question deep down in my heart, one I tried to ignore, was "How is she going to take care of him without her husband?" She has three other kiddos to take care of. She was fighting with this herself, and had to make a decision on what was best for this sweet little boy and for her family. He was a struggle even before her husband died. So she came to her decision, one we all knew was going to break her heart. Many of us believe that God used her as a tool to get him out of the situation he was in to the next step. She has done everything that she could do, and now his story continues with a new family. It will be strange to not hear about how he's doing or see pictures; she would post tons of pictures and videos; but he is loved, from one end of the country to another. And now his new family gets the joy of watching him continue to beat the odds the doctors keep setting on him. I will continue to pray and he will always be in my heart.
Rowan