Creating Holiday Cheer

Meet Meegan and Rylan

This mother daughter duo has been in my heart for many years. Meegan first visited me back in 2015 when I was hosting a fall themed mini portrait session in my back yard. Her daughter Rylan was four years old at the time and they were the sweetest pair I'd ever seen. Meegan clearly adored her tiny daughter and I understood the challenges she was facing when she revealed to me that she, like me, was a solo, head of house hold parent. Meegan is a compassionate woman, a crusader for social justice, and a longtime advocate for LGBTQ rights in Orlando, Florida. Rylan is an endearing nine year old who is attending virtual school and sorely missing friends and play dates.

Just before Thanksgiving I learned that Meegan was struggling financially and facing eviction from her apartment. Like so many in Florida and across the United States, Meegan lost her job as a medical and mental health receptionist at a local doctor's office when the pandemic struck the region. She has since struggled to make ends meet and is currently self employed as an independent consultant and a self-care product distributor. She is trying but times are still rough.

times are still rough

A GoFundMe page was started for them and, thankfully, Meegan was able to catch up on on rent to avoid December eviction. Still, with January rent on the horizon and Christmas only 12 days away my heart goes out to the pair. Knowing how happy and special photo shoots make people feel, I decided to treat Meegan and Rylan to one of their very own at Kraft Azalea Garden in Maitland. Giving them pictures won't pay their bills but the collection of photos we created together made all our hearts happy. And now that you know about them, perhaps you will consider shopping Meegan's online store for yourself or loved ones. Doing so will help with food and shelter and hopefully help this mom deliver gifts to her daughter for Christmas. And there is also the GO FUND ME page which is still active if you'd like to send a donation. Anything helps. See links below.

I thank you for reading my blog.