For every leaf that has fallen, ten new leaves shall spring forth. Such is love through giving shall it multiply throughout this world. - says the Watsons
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (Ephesians 4:2)
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
Our charitable programs include, but not limited to: Project Smiles, weddings, school donations, student donations, and family portrait donations through Helping Hands.
We are extending God’s love and grace to all couples who are getting married and are unable to afford a photographer. Everyone deserves to have one of the most beautiful moments and profound happiness of life captured, serving as souvenirs decades from now and passed on from generation to generation. We believe in sharing our gifts with everyone and would be honored to provide couples in financial hardship with complimentary coverage.
We would also like to offer a helping hand to students whose family have difficulty acquiring and paying for portraits.
For more information and to get started, please click on "For Bride & Groom" or "For Students" at the top of the page (under "Our Giving Tree").
"Trials, just like a part of life's journey, remain a mystery until it's come to pass. We can either choose to grow through it rather than simply going through it. Growth mindset lets us develop our characters and strengthen our weaknesses, so that we are ready to take on the next phase of life. It's really one of the most effective ways to earn our promotions to life's bigger and better blessings." -says the Watsons
No one would have thought that losing loved ones could result in something beautiful. We never did. Not until recently anyways.
It's like we're at an impasse, a place in life where everything appears to be at a standstill. No progress. No way out. Stuck. Then, along comes life's natural tormentors - things can't seem to stick together, constantly falling apart. Then, like making a sandwich, life tops us off with losing loved ones, one after another. Maybe time will make things better, but how much more time? After having lost six loved ones, it's clear that time is not the answer.
The first touch of light hit us when we learned about forgiveness and what it really means to forgive. Forgiveness is a beautiful gift to those who receive them, but no one really wants to be the one giving the forgiveness. We hold on to the hurt, the pain, the resentment without realizing that we're imprisoning ourselves. Being unable to forgive hurts us more than the person needing our forgiveness. Maybe in a sense, it is "selfish" to forgive, but this is a great opportunity for us to practice self-love, which unfortunately, is what the world lacks today. We're working on loving ourselves the way we're loved by God.
Then comes learning new perspectives and effects of words. We have been looking through the wrong lens for so long that we have failed to see the works of God in our lives. We have failed to count our blessings for so many other things that we've gotten accustom to taking for granted. Words have power like no other. Like we reap what we sow, we eat what we say. There are only two kinds of words we can speak: blessings or curses. The Lord will not bless that which we curse. And very much like the law of the universe, what we receive is what we've been attracting, be it intentionally or not. We want to speak the language of love, giving, compassion and kindness because we want our hearts and home to be filled with only these things. It's also the same language that the Lord speaks.
Lastly, we have an awakening and feel like for the very first time, we could think and see clearly. There's such calm and inner peace - we didn't think possible. In the midst of all this comfort, we're sparked by a strong, immense emotion of giving. What is it that we have been blessed with that we could share with those who are in need? What is it that we are so passionate about that we could stay up at night working on in both sickness and health? It's photography, no doubt.
The last two weddings we have covered gave us a unique insight on the overlooked needs of struggling couples who are getting married. A couple's wedding day is one of the most important days of their lives, and they should at least have a high quality picture to hang up on their wall for their children and grandchildren to admire for years and generations to come. Our minds have been made up.
Hello Giving Tree.
The Watsons
Your Missouri-based photographers, lover of all great foods, music, laughter and weddings.