When my husband Roy passed away suddenly after just 5 years of marriage, I was devastated.  For my healing, I spent as much time as possible on my paddle board.  It was my quiet place to connect to myself and Mother Nature to grieve. I was supported by the ocean and comforted by dolphins, turtles, fish, a few sharks, and to my surprise, even a whale.

After a year of paddling, Roy must have known I was in need of help.  I was alive, but I wasn’t really living. I was going through the motions of life but had no passion or zest for living.  In a dream one night, he and I were in a shopping mall and he led me to the camera counter. He said, “I want you to have this  professional camera for Christmas.”  The dream was so vivid, I awoke feeling he visited me. I thought about buying a camera for a few weeks and I decided I didn’t want to wait until Christmas.  It was April when I had the dream, and I couldn’t wait.

With my new camera in hand, while taking sunrise photos, a white egret started showing up, walking the beach with me and posing for photos.  He was named Francis and I credit him for introducing me to the personalities of birds.  Who knew taking pictures of birds would breathe passion back into my life, giving me a renewed sense of excitement and joy?