In memory of Max

Sympathies to my friend Steve on the recent loss of his dog, Max. Max is shown here with my dog Scooter (who passed away last month) when Max stayed with us over Easter weekend in 2007.

Don't worry... crop away!

As I'm editing some photos I took at my niece Jaime's birthday party, I found myself struggling with a cropping issue. Is it best to get a person's whole head in the photo, or is it okay to crop the top of the person's head slightly?

From searching the web, I liked this advice:

If it looks good to you, and captures something you like, then
don't worry about it.

And here's a good one:

There is a famous story about a famous photographer who did a portrait of the famous Marilyn Monroe. In his excitement he cut off the top of her head. When he apologized to her she said, "Don't worry. Everyone knows I have a top to my head. No one will miss it.

And here's the photo that got me started:

Showing respect for Scooter

A friend of mine shared the following thinking with me, and I asked her permission to further share it. I thought it was really touching and insightful:

Just remember that you loved Scooter and when you lose a loved one, you grieve. I think people do not give themselves permission to grieve for animals. You get told "It's just a dog" and you end up feeling strange because it impacts you emotionally. But your grief shows respect for Scooter and her place in your life. It would be far sadder to die and have no one grieve.

Quote

My sister shared the following quote with me:

If you dare to love, you must have the courage to grieve.

Scooter

I lost her this morning. It hurts too much right now, so I'm just going to point you over to The Snikk Blog for a nice little tribute.

Launch Day!

Today was the launch day of the iPhone 3GS. My friend Steve & I stopped by the Apple Store over lunch to check out the new phone, which adds the capability of shooting video. Here's a video I took:



And there is a lesson learned here: Hold the iPhone sideways next time when shooting video!

In memory of Carol Sanders

A longtime friend of mine, Carol Sanders, died last Tuesday in a car accident. Carol was a wonderful person. She was pleasant and calming and fun to be around. She demonstrated care for others in how she expressed herself. She was very insightful and intelligent.

Three years ago in April, two of my three dogs died. Maddie and Brandy were both quite old but losing both of them within eight days of each other was nothing I would ever expect to happen.

The day after the second dog, Brandy, died, Carol happened to send me one of those "Hey, it's been a while -- how are things?" e-mails. I responded by telling Carol about the dogs and adding, "Your note came just when I needed it most. Thanks Carol. God works in mysterious ways."

Carol wrote back:

Tom, I am so sorry to hear about Brandy and Maddie. Wow. I can't imagine how tough this is going to be on you and Scooter. You gave them both such a great life by taking them in and making a home for them. Losing such close friends does really help bring you back to the important part of life, the relationships you weave with others. Maybe it is time to reach out to another dog and bring them into your home. Maybe this is in the big plan.

Carol's own words are appropriate and beautifully haunting, three years later.

The important part of life -- the relationships you weave with others.

Thank you, Carol, for being an important part of my life. And to her husband Dave and her family, my sincere sympathies.

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A beautiful article about Carol is available from The St. Louis Beacon. I highly recommend it, even for those readers who never met Carol. The article provides insight into human beauty and passion.

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The above photo of Carol is courtesy of her family.