Shutter Sisters

Living in Color

By

‘A picture’s worth a thousand words but you can’t see what those shades of gray keep covered. You should’ve seen it in color’ -from the song In Color by Jamey Johnson

My best friend Alejandra and I have known each other since we met in 2nd grade.  That friendship continued all through our school years and our high school graduation.  Once we were out of school I went on to my civil service career while she went on to marry and have three babies.  Like many do, we lost touch over the years while both of us went on to live our lives.  Last year at our high school reunion we reconnected and it was like we’ve never been apart.  We’ve both had our ups and downs over the years, both of us losing our siblings to cancer and now, my sweet friend is fighting cancer of her own and fight it, she does.  She fights it by choosing to live.  She lives by travelling to the most exotic places and seeing the most amazing things.  She lives by choosing to only drink wine from the cutest wine glasses she can find (as seen in the photo above).  She lives by laughing her infectious laughter, a lot. She lives by spending quality time with her girlfriends, making us her famous Mickey Mouse waffles for a late night snack after a full night full of laughter and good times together.  Recently we went away for a much needed weekend at a beach house with four other high school girlfriends.  Some of us were discussing the pitfalls of getting older from bad knees to poor eye sight to menopause. Suddenly, Alejandra began laughing hysterically.  At the quizzical look on our faces, she said, “You’re all falling apart and I’m the one with cancer!!!”, which then threw all of us into fits of hysterical laughter right along with her.  Not only is she living her life to the fullest, she’s living it in color.  How awesome that I get to photograph her colorful life.  How awesome that she’s my friend.

Today, show us with your photos how you’re living your life in color.

Shutter Sisters is honored to help promote the America Cancer Society’s More Birthdays Campaign. They want to see your artistic expression that is inspired by the lifesaving work of the American Cancer Society.  Submit your photos, art and/or music, spread the word, and vote for your favorites – you choose the winners and who gets the big prizes! There’s even a “cool categories” contest hosted by Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom fame that our own Tracey Clark is helping to judge. How serendipitious that this month’s word for our OWP is Life.  Life = More Birthdays!

Comments

  2. Congratulations on having such a friend who lives life like that.
    Living life to the full and colorful, this is what we should do all the people. Too bad it does lack a cancer to feel it, life is unfair.
    Meanwhile we have to live life and enjoy it.
    and we can celebrate many birthdays!

    I have no picture of a candle to blow, but there is a Sparkle at the top of this building. And this photo is full of nature and a bit of human made.
    http://aifonejant.blogspot.com/2011/07/muntanya-roure-i-vidre.html

    Also Also, stay inside the building and healing thermal waters.

  5. Color can be bold, bright, sunny, cheerful — or, color can be calm, subtle, meditative, melodious. I am choosing to take time to savor the little things; the beauties often overlooked.

    “Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.”
    Rabindranath Tagore
    http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/dancing-dew-drops/

    “The dew of compassion is a tear.”
    Lord Byron
    http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/tears/

  15. I am living this with you along with all of our daily trials and tribulations! But it seems to all disapear when we are all together "celebrating life" with Ale. Even sharing time with her during her chemo appointments we fill the hospital with laughter. I often wonder what the other patients think of us sharing so openly our lives? I will always treasure our friendships rekindled 30 years later as if it were only a month.

  19. Alejandra left us to go live with the angels in heaven on Sunday August 21st at 1:45 am. As I am lying heer reflecting on our time together, I just had to come and read this story "living in color" about our friendship. I could not have written this any better than you did Chris. This sums up the strength Alejandra had within and her battle she fought until the very end. She did not let "Cancer" control her until she was ready. It only took control the final days of her life. I am so proud to say I shared her last minutes on earth with her and look so forward to meeting her again.

  20. you are lucky to find such a nice friend.this picture is good.i like to read informative blogs and this blog is also so good and helpful.thanks for taking time to discus this topic..