Great Expectations

Over the weekend I did a session with one of my husbands former youth students. It was her senior portraits...but I find myself remembering when I used to babysit her. Can't believe how grown up she is...applying to colleges and going to Governor's School.

 

As I was uploading some of her previews to Flickr, (I always get excited after a session and can't contain myself, and have to put up a few previews.) and I found myself googling graduation-ish quotes. I came across this one: Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. / Wendy Wasserstein 

Graduating or not, I love this quote. I mean, we all carry around so many expectations, so many things people want from us, for us...even things people want for us that we don't want. It reminded me how easy it is to lose sight of that tugging we so often feel deep down in our hearts. That I know what I should be doing, I know what I love, I know what I'm here for kind of feeling.

So while it may sound like I'm giving myself a commencement speech or something, and I don't like to be cheesy, I really was glad to be reminded of this. Kind of freeing to remember that the only expectations that really matter are the ones between God and me. I don't have to impress anyone with my skills, chances are I may not be doing exactly what they think I should be doing anyway. I just need to impress one Person. And I hope that this girl, with her whole life ahead of her, realizes this even now. And I hope it gives her the freedom to find the expectations that really matter.

The second shot is for Paper Heart Camera