luke and the nerd gang

Some days I’ll stare at the screen for a while, search for the words to write but they just don’t come. “Ok, you got this. No, that’s not good. Hmmm. OK! Focus! Nope, still not good.” Delete. I knew when I set out on this project that at some point I would start doubting myself: “Would a portrait a week be good enough?” I did my best to prepare myself mentally for these moments – and be ready to remind myself that I want to honor people, do the work, and test my limits. And so here we are in the thick of it; part of me is enticed by surrender. But I’m not going to because I don’t actually want to quit. I just like the idea of pampering myself in this moment.

Luke is my little cousin. Except he’s not so little anymore. He’s a wise and imaginative young adult who’s got lots of ideas and depth. Luke isn’t mainstream. He’s weird in the best ways; theatrical, musical, and comical. He’s a natural storyteller and a sensitive soul whose wheels are always turning. I had the privilege of meeting a few of his friends and taking their picture all together. They call themselves the Nerd Gang and are affectionate, caring, and expressive with each other. I asked one of them what their high school experience was like: “Drama and trauma.” Two of them are getting ready to go on mission trips and another two are currently working for AmeriCorps. They all spoke openly and confidently about wanting to help people in meaningful ways and being around them was refreshing and life giving.

When I was fresh out of high school I wanted to get rich and didn’t care how I would get there. My values have changed dramatically since then, however, it remains all too easy to lose sight of what’s really important. Thank you Luke and the Nerd Gang for reminding me that vulnerability, empathy, and compassion are a sign of strength and maturity – that you don’t have to have it all figured out and that it’s OK to need somebody to lean on.