Strong Leg, Heavy Heart

It is unspeakable. It is the unimaginable. It is every parent’s worse nightmare.

Losing a child is, in my opinion, the worst thing that can happen to a person. We are not meant to outlive our children, and for the all-too-many individuals who are forced to do so every year, I am not sure they are able to ‘live’ quite the same again. Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant, along with his wife Melissa, has very tragically been added to that list.

You may have heard the story while watching football this past Sunday. Matt and Mellissa’s three-month-old son, Tryson, died last week. Upon returning from his son’s funeral services in Texas, Matt suited up for the Bucs and kicked three field goals on Sunday to help preserve a win against Green Bay. With each kick, Matt Bryant blew a kiss to the skies in honor of his son. The tears in my eyes prevented me from seeing much else.

It is with awe that I sit here and write about the ordeal Matt and his wife must endure. I cannot possible fathom the strength Matt had to possess in order to get on the charter plane back from Texas, let alone put on his gear and play football on game day. I cannot imagine the thoughts in his head as he awaited the snap before each kick. How do you do anything – work, eat ……. breathe – when you are incapable of feeling any joy? What Matt Bryant did on Sunday was simply amazing.

It’s incredibly unfortunate for me to say I am close to two separate individuals who’ve both lost their children at an early age. Both losses were equally tragic and horrific, and both individuals are now living the rest of their lives in a perpetual state of coping. In both cases, I believe what has kept each person from hitting rock bottom is the net of support that was woven by the hearts of those around them. Although there are no words that can be said to help ease someone’s pain at a time of great loss, the actions we take speak loudly at a time that demands silence and condolence.

The Tampa Bay Bucs are not my team. My heart still belongs to the Dolphins, the team of my childhood. Still, my heart – as I am sure do the hearts of all football fans – goes out to Matt and Melissa Byant. I will pray they continue to find the strength to endure and keep going even though they may have no desire to do so. I like to think Matt Bryant was able to do what he did by relying on the love and support of his family, teammates and the 65000+ fans at Raymond James Stadium; and the knowledge that his biggest fan that Sunday was a little angel up in Heaven.

What a Poser

I think everyone likes attention. Sure, there are varying degrees of attention one can receive and depending on the amount, the slide on the scale of personal comfort can easily move from reinforcing flattery to hot-under-the-collar uneasiness.

So there I found myself last Friday evening, the center of another woman’s attention. She couldn’t take her eyes off of me. Her words were full of both adulation and instruction at the same time. She was telling me what to do, and we were both enjoying every minute of it.

Now before you have a ‘WTF?’ moment, I need to divulge that Lee was very aware of what was going on. In fact, she was part of the whole scenario.

*dramatic pause*

To clarify, Lee and I met up with our friend Elise who agreed to shoot our engagement photographs. Elise is a very talented photographer and had a great idea for taking the pictures Lee and I will use to commemorate our engagement. We met up with Elise in St. Petersburg (Florida, because the flight to Russia would have set up back a bit) and the posing and smiling began.

Since Lee and I are very laid back by nature, and our destination wedding will be in the Caribbean, the idea was to dress in sunny and beachy attire and juxtapose us against the urban and hip feel of downtown St. Pete. So there I was in my khakis and sky-blue, Guayabera style shirt leaning up against the red-brick wall outside Café Alma. There was Lee, in her beautiful blue-green dress, posing so elegantly in front of the medieval looking wooden door that serves as the entrance to the Vintage Ultra Lounge.

The whole experience was so much fun, and it was the first time Lee and I had ever posed for photos outside a photography studio environment. I will admit there were times when it was a bit embarrassing to be out in public watching others watch us as Elise clicked away with her array of cameras and lenses. It was also a bit tiring. Even though it was early evening in the middle of September, the Florida sun was in full blaze and left us all calling for water breaks and taking refuge in the shade.

The evening concluded with a quick wardrobe change and some more relaxed pictures in front of the beautiful Kapok tree at the Museum of Fine Arts. Before we lost all our light, Lee and I threw on some solid t-shirts and ball caps, walked across the street to Soreno Park, and took some pictures to represent our mutual love of college football. Through it all, Elise was so much fun to work with. She was open to the ideas Lee and I had, and was never restrictive in her photo taking. It was all about capturing the fun and the love Lee and I share on a daily basis.

We capped off the evening with dinner at local Mexican restaurant and wonderful conversation with Elise and her husband Kurt. I always make references to how blessed Lee and I are to be surrounded by such loving and giving friends, and last Friday night was no exception. It was a great experience, and I never knew having a woman other than Lee tell me what to do could be so much fun!

For more information on Elise Schreiner Photography, please click here.

View some of the pictures in this e-Session.