Perfect Health

Perfect Health is my first award winning shot but this photo isn’t important to me for that reason. Primarily it's because of the situation under which it was taken. I was shooting away with my first digital camera, a cheap Pentax point and shoot consumer model. I was taking photos of some Gerbera daises using the textured green walls in the entrance of my home as the backdrop. I had been using my feet to balance a flower in the perfect position for a shot, and when I grew tired I rested my feet on the wall in front of me.

Whatever force you believe moves you/us - whether you call it intuition, God, instinct or the inner voice - mine said "snap the picture." My initial thought was that my feet holding a flower between them wasn’t very interesting, but I obeyed and did as I was told.

The second reason this photo is important to me is because of the role it has played in my overcoming an illness called Endometriosis, which I had since I was 17 years old. I have always associated green with healing and health, while pink makes me think of love. Seeing my feet against these colors sparked within me an affirmation (See Below).

Finally this photo is important to me because of how it has touched others. The process of taking the photo and writing the affirmation lead me to creating a three-piece work of art that described my journey with Endometriosis. This art piece was shown at the ARC Gallery in Chicago in 2004 as part of a show titled, “Endo Expressions”. After the show, word of the impact of the piece spread, and I was asked to show it again at the International Endometriosis Conference held in Wisconsin. There the piece moved many people to tears. For some it put their own feelings into words they had not been able to express, and loved ones of women with the disease felt that for the first time they understood how the person they loved felt.

While "Perfect Health" was powerful as part of a trio of works, it lives on today as a solo act. Today this photo is most commonly seen in the form of a greeting card with an affirmation of health. It has been given by many to inspire others along the path to perfect health and healing. The inside of the card contains the affirmation given to me years ago.

Endo Hell
This piece tells the tale of the first ten years of my life living with Endometriosis. I was 17 years old when symptoms first began. Almost a year later I was diagnosed. Like most women I have had numerous doctors and surgeries, unnecessary tests, drug treatments that only made me more ill, and given pain pill that had no affect of the pain.

No Cure

Reality sets in. There is no cure for Endometriosis. Most doctors are ignorant, at best, about the disease. I must learn to live with the pain. I have to get past the scars in my head, my heart, and on my body. I am not defined by what my body
can and cannot do.

                            Perfect Health

                                         I am a child of God; I do not inherit illness.
                                    I am made to be healthy,

To have joy, and share love.
This idea blooms in my heart and mind as
I Walk on the path of healing.
I am grateful. I am stronger. I am wiser.
I am more compassionate. I am blessed.
Thank you God.

Side Note: Learn more about Endometriosis at www.endometriosisassn.org

The Game Face of Williams

Aeneas Demetrius Williams

The Game Face of Aeneas Williams

Born January 29, 1968 in New Orleans Williams is a former professional football cornerback and free safety who played for the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. No doubt a personal career high was playing in Super Bowl XXXVI for the Rams, but Williams might be best known for delivering the tackle that ultimately ended the Hall of Fame San Francisco 49er’s quarterback Steve Young’s career. After his own injury Williams retired from professional play in 2005.

Today, Aeneas Williams is a minister with at Spirit of the Lord Family Church in Clayton, Missouri. He visited the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis (CCSCSL) during the 2008 U.S. Chess Championships to meet founder Rex Sinquefield and Major League Baseball pitcher Todd Worrell. All three men are concerned about the education system in the city and are working to improve the lives of children in St. Louis.

Williams and Worrell were moved by the works of the CCSCSL, and spent the rest of the afternoon playing their first game of chess with help from Sinquefield and Executive Director Tony Rich. The born competitors weren’t willing to end the game even after the press coverage ended.

As part of their VIPtreatment, Williams and Worrell posed for photos, just like the top 24 chess players competing in the tournament had. Worrell gave a game winning smile, but not Williams. Williams said chess is too serious and decided it was best to put his game face on.