Maternity and Family Portraits | Jonathan & Vianca
As you open my sixth blog post, there are two things I would like to say to you. First, a sincere “thank you” for giving me the time to entertain you with my photo art and my quirky writing. Secondly, I encourage you to read this entire post. Scroll to the end. Please don’t just skim quickly and admire the pictures of this beautiful family in their maternity session. In life, we are given opportunities to shine for ourselves and for OTHERS… This is my little piece of the cyber world and maybe, just maybe, good will ignite from these words and positively impact the Mendoza family.
Maternity Session at Eastampton New Jersey… Part 1
I met Jonathan and Vianca for the first time during our maternity photo session. They had considered doing portraits during their pregnancy, but we all know how quickly time can just run from us especially while planning a baby’s arrival. Sometimes things just seem to fall smoothly together at the last minute. That’s exactly what happened. We scheduled our session the day before our shoot in Smithville Mansion.
Have you ever met someone and it felt like you have known each other for a long time? Like family-ish. Well, I can say that we kicked it off like old pals. As I began to photograph, I quickly learned that Vianca was due in four days.. Four DAYS my friends! In four days they would have their baby boy in their arms. Talk about a time crunch 😉 This being said, she thought that she wouldn’t go through with pictures because it seemed like it was too late… but we made it happen… And it was perfect 🙂
The Mendoza family of three would turn into a family of four- Jonathan, Vianca, their five year old daughter J, and their baby boy. There was such a peaceful joy in our session. We spoke, laughed, and J played in the beautiful gardens. Vianca’s favorite part of being pregnant was to feel all her son’s little karate kicks and to see J’s reaction to his moves. I also learned that Jonathan loves photography and has thought of getting his own camera. Needless to say, the love in this family was magnetic and my goal was to capture the fullness of it.
Seven Months Later: Part II
This is the reason why I encouraged you to “Read On” to the last of this post. As much as I loved their session, I am compelled to share a continuation of their story. I feel a special connection with all my clients because I got to share in their life. A Little glimpse of who they are… Life happens and sometimes we may not understand why things happen the way it does. We are to strive, to hold on to the good, and to see beyond circumstances. In life we are called to be strong even if every ounce of strength comes from up Above.
Now let us fast forward seven months to April 9th, 2017. The following is from Vianca and a link to their Go Fund Me site.
Jonathan is a 25-year old hard-working young man, and every time you see him he brings so many smiles and a lot of laughter to everyone around him. Sadly, on the afternoon of April 9th, 2017, he was in a devastating motorcycle accident. This unfortunate occurrence has been affecting his fiancé, two kids (ages 5 years old and 7 months old) as well as his tight-knit family ever since.
He was taken by ambulance that afternoon to Newark University Hospital, where he underwent a major spinal surgery and is now in a phenomenal rehabilitation center in West Orange for recovery. His family is facing what will be a growing battle of medical expenses on top of cost for equipment he may need during the recovery process, which is why we are setting up this fund for them. We can only express thanks to God that Jonathan is still with us today.
Jonathan is dear to our hearts and we pray that Jonathan will come out of this strong and that we can all help to support his family in a desperate time of need. Thank you for anything you can share, it is greatly appreciated!! Also, we would love if you could please share this account with everyone you know so we can help Jonathan return home as soon as possible. No amount of help is too small. Thank you for taking the time to hear our story.
Love,
Jonathan’s Family
Thank you for reading my sixth post! When we let our light shine, we encourage others to do the same. Please let us join together to support the Mendoza family. Please click on the link below.