From time to time (although more accurately, all the time), the One Million Faces project encounters a truly touching story that is illustrated through one of the photos of a shoot. Peggy may not know the triumphant story of a couple's victory over life-threatening concerns as she photographs the pair of happy, laughing souls, but whenever the story is told, it makes the photos that much more powerful to view.
Karen and her husband Heath sponsored the Family Time photo shoot being featured in our Kickstarter campaign. She shared their story with us this weekend, and it powerfully represents why this project is so close to our hearts and why it is so important to us to make our goal.
Over six years ago, Heath was set to deploy to Iraq. He was actually about two weeks away from arriving in country when I decided that I really didn’t want him to go. I went to the extreme on this one, a cancer diagnosis, and he was compassionately reassigned to home. (An aside, but many thanks to all those who supported Heath and made it possible for him to come home.)
In the years since, we have often gone back and forth with the following dialogue:
Karen: “I’d rather “get” cancer again than have you go to war.”
Heath: “I’d rather go to war than have the cancer return.”
What we have been saying, basically, is we love each other, care for each other, and want good health and wellness for each other. And we are saying, both cancer and war are scary and fearful and create great uncertainty and struggles in our lives. (Clearly we missed the life lesson that war and cancer can be used as metaphors, and we don’t necessarily need to be so literal!)
I share this because I think all of us can relate to love, care, health and wellness. And, I think we can all identify sources of pain, struggle, fear, and uncertainty. They are universal themes.
I guess that is really my point – there are universal themes that we all share. These themes help us realize our commonalities, instead of our differences, as human beings.
Peggy Dyer is a friend and a photographer and the great mind behind One Million Faces. Her photography and One Million Faces project are bringing people together and changing the world for the better…one photo, one face, one message at a time. She shared her talents with the 2-135th GSAB, and all who wanted a photo session were
photographed.
Once the event was over, and we were able to absorb it all, we realized these universal themes again. We love each other, care for each other, have uncertainty but really want to support each other. As a way to support the families and friends made at the photo shoot, Peggy has started a Kickstarter campaign to fund a photo album in the form of a photo documentary book for all who are deployed.
I know all too well that “military” and “war” are controversial topics and often evoke strong emotions. For me, it isn’t about any of that. It is about the common and universal themes of love and care and support. If you “LIKE” love, care, and support, then please check out Peggy’s One Million Faces Kickstarter Campaign.
I believe that this project is the start of Peggy Dyer / One Million Faces and all of us changing the world for the better by showing more love, care, and support to each other as human beings. After all, love, care and support are the things necessary to eradicate the cancers and wars in our lives and world. My goal is to create more opportunities to live in health and peace for us all; and I think this project represents both.
I guess that is really my point – there are universal themes that we all share. These themes help us realize our commonalities, instead of our differences, as human beings.
Well, Heath is about two weeks from being in country again. This time – so far – I’ve decided NOT to go the cancer route because there are other, better, ways to support Heath. There are other lessons to be learned.One lesson for me has been to celebrate life through family photos. So, Heath and I had our pictures taken before deployment activities really took priority. That experience led to the idea of sharing the gift of photos with all the others deploying.
photographed.
Once the event was over, and we were able to absorb it all, we realized these universal themes again. We love each other, care for each other, have uncertainty but really want to support each other. As a way to support the families and friends made at the photo shoot, Peggy has started a Kickstarter campaign to fund a photo album in the form of a photo documentary book for all who are deployed.
I know all too well that “military” and “war” are controversial topics and often evoke strong emotions. For me, it isn’t about any of that. It is about the common and universal themes of love and care and support. If you “LIKE” love, care, and support, then please check out Peggy’s One Million Faces Kickstarter Campaign.
I believe that this project is the start of Peggy Dyer / One Million Faces and all of us changing the world for the better by showing more love, care, and support to each other as human beings. After all, love, care and support are the things necessary to eradicate the cancers and wars in our lives and world. My goal is to create more opportunities to live in health and peace for us all; and I think this project represents both.
