FAMILY SESSION: This is US...

The world has been captivated by the TV show, This is Us...

What drew me to the show wasn't just Jack (even though I totally remember him from Gilmore Girls) and it wasn't even Mandy Moore, whom I LOVE to listen to sing...

I think it was the fact that the family struggled and succeeded through life just like everyone else...things didn't come easy and yet, sometimes they did...

noone gets it ALL...

the "secret" is in how we respond/react to what we DO have...

the happys, the sads, the failures, the victories...

It's the showing up, backing up, cheering on and hugging....

it's the laughing and the crying...the glances across the room and the quiet moments that say, "I'm here for the long haul...no matter what!"

THIS IS US...THIS Is what makes us whole...

Relationships are never a guarantee...and working at them is HARD...

but, the reward...

oHHHHH the reward is so, so, so worth it!!!

This family has 4 littles...

It can't be easy everyday...you've got 6 people in a household with a gazillion things going on at once...

and yes, I KNOW they look like models...but, do you realize that if they were just "pretty on the outside" their smiles would not be genuine because inside they'd be a mess...

but, the fact is...what you see in these images IS the heart of them...

they give each other grace, they stand firm on the things they value in truth, they leave room for growing, they make room for humor...and they LOVE...they love wholeheartedly, unabashedly, unconditionally...

They make me smile...they demonstrate hope and JOY!