The Man...The Movement...The Message.

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through 

continuous struggle." 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Saturday, January 10th, my husband and I decided to take our sons to see the movie, "Selma", the recently released motion picture drama based on the events of the historical marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama which led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This year marks its 50th Anniversary! The scene was set during a troubling time in our nation, right in the midst of a movement toward racial equality and the protection of the civil rights for all Americans. If you have not had a chance to see this movie, it is a MUST see! It is powerful and gripping from start to finish, and filled with such dramatic performances that you will literally be on the edge of your seat the entire time!

This movie will take you to a time where you witness the strength, passion, sheer determination and resilience of those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. The peaceful, yet hugely effective protests, the sit-ins, the boycotts, the marches, and all other acts that afforded African-Americans the freedoms we enjoy today;  the opportunity to eat at any restaurant we choose, use public water fountains, VOTE (which is something EVERY legal citizen over the age of 18 should be doing), and to sit and enjoy a movie like this one in a movie theater in the south.  It is a great movie to see with the family, and especially your children. It is a part of our history, and although it is a heart-wrenching drama, it is still a movie well worth seeing. We cannot take the sacrifices of these brave men and women for granted. The movement is not over. It is important that the next generation have a greater understanding of the journey we have traveled, and how critical it is that knowledge is transferred to keep us moving forward as a people.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

"Selma" refueled our desire to attend the Annual MLK Day March as a family. There is so much we have to expose them to about the struggle...there is so much to be remembered about our past, and we have to stay in constant dialogue in hopes of further advancing the outcome of our future. On Monday, January 19th, we joined the city of Murfreesboro, TN at the Central Magnet School to begin our walk toward Remembering the Dream! There was an ethnically diverse group in attendance, coming together for one common cause... to keep Dr. King's dream alive!

   

We made our way from Central Magnet through neighboring streets toward the Patterson Park Community Center, singing hymns and binding our hearts together. The event culminated with several inspiring presentations underneath the pavilion, and a reenactment of two of Dr. King's famous speeches, including his memorable "I Have a Dream". It felt good to be back at it. We can never forget.  

 

"Let no man pull you low enough to hate him." ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend." 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

It is our responsibility to inform the next generation of what it all truly means. The Dream of Dr. King still remains dear to our hearts. There have been so many negative images of  young men in the news lately, we want to make sure ours experience a rich history, and become equipped with the resources to continue to be positive influences for their peers. I am so grateful for the examples our "Freedom Fighters" set for us all. How they taught us to fight, not with our hands, but with our will, our faith and our determination, and with the utmost dignity and self-respect. Let Freedom Ring!

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl; but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

It has been a minute since I last made a post, so I figured it would be a great way to usher in this New Year! So grateful for God's amazing gift of another year and for the opportunity to see it with my family.

So, what can I say about 2014? I can definitely say it was a year of highs and lows, but nonetheless, we came out of it built Ford tough! We watched while God supernaturally healed not just one, but BOTH of our sons (won't He do it?). We learned many lessons about life, business and PEOPLE. We learned to set some attainable and a few far reaching goals. We learned (and I guess are still learning) how not to take things too seriously OR personally. We learned that remaining focused would be necessary for our success in any area, and that we would need to steer clear of unnecessary distractions that threatened to redirect us. We learned that not everyone would be in favor of our progress and that's ok. It takes all of the above to help push you beyond where you are and it was always just what we needed to move past a particular plateau in our lives. We just accepted that not everyone would understand our vision, our time investment, and why and how we do what we do, but we also know it was never intended for their understanding.

Now that 2015 is officially underway, it is time to start your engines and set (or reset) some goals. Create a vision board (on our To Do List for Jan. 1st, by the way) or a bucket list of things you want to accomplish this year. If you go through year after year without a plan, what on earth are you accomplishing besides just simply "EXISTING"? When you don't have goals and something to work toward, then you tend to focus more on the people who do. I saw a quote recently that read, "Winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners."  Now, I'm not necessarily calling anyone a loser, but if you're not out winning, then what are you doing? Stop focusing on what others are doing and start building some dreams of your own. Otherwise, you miss out on a chance to really live! Oh, and don't forget to spend some of your time volunteering, whether it is to help out your ministry or for a community outreach initiative. It's a great way to develop some compassion.

Now to wrap-up 2014, our family decided to just cut loose and do what we normally do when no one is watching. I love having a family that knows how to laugh and have a good time. Laughter is good for the soul and we do a lot of it! Enjoy a few images from our impromptu shoot! It is what it is!

   

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  


 www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com