Dana Moran Photography

I am ready to say good bye to 2012.  For me it has been an incredible year professionally and I am so thankful for that.  I photographed and was a part of 4 amazing weddings, not to mention all the families I was so blessed to meet and photograph.  But personally…. this has been the WORST year of my life.  My family and I have all suffered a terrible loss and our lives will never be the same.  CANCER sucks!  I hate it.  It slowly crept into our family four years ago and took away an amazing Nana, mother and friend. My mother in law was one of a kind, I loved her as if she was my own mom and she felt the same.  She was the matriarch of our family, the ultimate party planner and one that held us all together. I miss her A LOT.  I have changed since she passed away, we all have.  I know in time I will feel more like myself, but now- I am different.  How can I not be? She was a HUGE part of my life, someone I saw & talked to all the time.  My heart aches and I  know in time the hurt will be less.

Our family is continuing on with her traditions, stories are being told.  We are talking about her & laughing… sometimes we cry but one thing is for sure- She will live on in our hearts forever.  We are adjusting to a new normal without her.  Our new normal… I am so proud of my father in law. He is amazing! Every year Pam would take my girls out to get their Christmas outfits, this year.. Papa did it!  Talk about awesome!

2012 has taught me things…

• Just how important it is to hold onto memories…no matter how small or how big, sad or happy, its the memory that will keep that  loved one alive to you forever.

• That you endure and move on, but you never get over it. It becomes a part of who you are.

• That you should always take that extra five minutes to tell the people you love that they matter to you!

• That you don’t want to take life for granted. Live well. Play hard. Laugh. Love

• That you don’t have to leave important things for tomorrow… like being with the ones you love and telling them how you feel… and listening to them and helping them.

• To focus on the love and life that they gave as a gift and continue to embrace that love.

• Live in the moment, nothing else matters but the love shared between family and friends.