SUSAN I 47 I have so much to smile and be thankful for...
I can’t say it enough, meeting all these wonderful women is filling up my cup. I’m learning so much from them and love to listen to their stories. I’m excited for you to read Susan’s story today.
Meet Susan, 47, and a warrior.
Susan grew up a poor kid of a single mother who wasn't able to work due to health reasons. She was in and out of foster care a couple of times because her mother couldn't always handle the stress of having seven kids. She left home at 16 and joined the Army after high school. She volunteered for many different jobs while in and discovered that IT was easy for her and she was good at it. She married and had two boys. Shortly after getting out of the Army, she decided to leave her abusive spouse and start over. She was a single mom, sometimes working two full-time jobs just to get by. She got a break from a small software development company. She met her husband on her first day at a help desk job. They became friends instantly and married three years later. They had another son two years after that. Both of them then moved to their current company and have been there ever since. He went into data analytics and she went into information security. They decided to expand their family and became foster parents. Last year their teenage daughter joined their wonderful family.
One of the biggest changes she had in her life was walking away from an abusive relationship. Before leaving she didn't know how to love or even like herself. She didn't think she deserved to be loved. She had two kids and I didn't want them growing up to feel that way. Gathering the strength to leave, having the courage to see who she was, and what she needed to do in order to love herself and grow into a more confident person made her a better mom and a stronger woman.
She has always valued family and still holds that strongly but she also values time. She cherishes time spent with her family, friends, and time for herself. She lets the small things go because dwelling on the small stuff takes time away from enjoying her family and friends.
Her family and friends describe her as kind, compassionate, and strong. She loves to run; she ran an ultra marathon of 31.6 miles on trails and she loved every minute of it!
Her future dreams and goals include traveling to Europe and stay in a castle.
A myth she liked to bust about being over 40 is “That we have to dress our age. What does that even mean? My daughter and I love the same clothes right now. If you want to wear flare jeans with a crop top, go for it!”
Her advice to the younger generations is “You are beautiful, you deserve to be loved, and you shouldn't settle for anything less. When you find it, know that love takes real work.”
“I have so much to smile and be thankful for.” ~Susan
Dear Susan, I hope these images remind you of how strong, smart, resilient, and uniquely beautiful you are. I had so much fun creating them for you. Thank you for choosing me as your photographer and allowing me to share your story.
Much love,
Tamara