Breast Cancer Survivor's Luncheon

I had the honor of volunteering at the Komen Breast Cancer Survivor's Luncheon at the Little America Hotel today. A local photographer volunteered her services for the day so attendees could have portraits taken. A local theatre donated fancy hats and we had feather boas for props. I met some amazing women throughout the day as I helped them register for photos, choose their hats and then printed photos all afternoon. It was inspirational and emotional and physically exhausting but I'll do it again next year!

Among my favorites was a 94 year-old survivor who was kind and beautiful. We ended up doing a mini photo session of her with her daughter after the luncheon. I got teary eyed every time a husband or father would good naturedly put on a feathered hat and boa to pose with a wife or daughter. Some of the facial expressions in the portraits were joyful, some sassy, some defiant, some heartbreaking. I had 4 women tell me that they wanted a photo of themselves to use for their obituaries. I saw a girl who grew up in our neighborhood. I found myself feeling grateful that it wasn't my family of sisters and aunts there but it was amazing to see the family support there for the survivors. The table settings were beautiful so I snuck a couple of photos of the banquet room before the program began.

The center pieces for each table were bud vases with Gerbera daisies in shades of pink. As thanks for the volunteers, we were each given a bud vase at the end of the day. I cut some daffodils and tulips in the yard to put in my vase when I got home. There was also a lovely, vibrant rainbow over the valley after a day of dark skies and heavy rain so I had to get a picture of it. A nice reminder that there is beauty to be found after braving the storms.