Congratulations Saydie – Beta

It is time for lap 2 in the Congratulations Saydie marathon. But before we get into the photo bonanza, I want to take a small quick time to take umbrage with one of the responses I received to the last batch of Saydie images. They pulled out the part of the entry where I referred to Saydie as my niece and held it up to mockery, since we share not a scrap of DNA or would share part of a family tree through marriage.

This person feels that the only nieces and nephews I have are my biological nieces in nephews and the children of Olivia’s brother and sisters.

My reaction to their commentary is just pure sadness. I hope they don’t go through life with this stilted definition of the word “family”.

The New York Times ran an articles and asked high school students to define family. I just want to share two:

Caitlin

I do not think there is such thing as a “normal family” because everyone’s lifestyle is different, and it would be a stereotype to say that all normal families have a Mom, a Dad and kids or a pet. That is not true. Some people choose a different choice. There are kids with two moms, or two dads, and with one mom or one dad. There are also plenty of kids who live with a close relative as well. Family are the people you feel safe and secure with. Everyone’s family is normal to them, because that is how they live their life. So be proud of your family, and don’t classify one family as normal.

AND

Taylor

I define a family as a group of people who share laughter, sadness, tragedy, victory, loss, regret, happiness, and success together. A family is hard to define. Most commonly one thinks a man, a woman, and their children. Time has shown this isn’t an exact answer. Grandparents, adopted parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even just friends can make up a family. Family is important for individuals to lead happy lifestyles and to become satisfied with their life.

I just hope that the commentator opens their heart some day. Maybe if they owned a dog…

Here are a ton more pictures of my niece Saydie:


Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

Saydie Howard - Senior Pictures

There will be a ton more pictures from Saydie’s senior pictures photo shoot in the coming weeks!

3 thoughts on “Congratulations Saydie – Beta”

  1. I’m not responding due to Saydie being my daughter. I am responding in agreement with Mr. Bennett’s aforementioned thoughts on family. I completely agree. Family does not require shared DNA. Example: Adoption.
    Family to me is a person or group of people that have helped shape your life. It’s those same people that you have shared the most intimate and raw moments of life with. It’s people who you know that both of your lives are as important to them as it is to you. There are so many things that make people family.
    Chris is as much my brother as Bryon and Josh. Charlotte & Gerald is as much much parents as my own. Carla, Theresa and Olivia was and will always be my sisters and sister in law and Samuel will always be my nephew. Their love and lives have shaped mine and those of my family.
    Chris is an uncle to my daughters. He was there through every birth, every hospital stay, every frustration and every celebration. He is integrated in to our lives like the strands of DNA in biological families. My favorite example, and one that has always made me smile is that each one of them not only refer to Chris as Uncle Chris, but they have him listed in their phones as “Uncle Chris”. Family.
    Some may read this as a definition as friendship. I state that there are those in your life that are friends, maybe even lifelong friends, but there are those that transcend friendship. Family.
    I suggest those that disagree, get a dog.

  2. Where I agree anybody that does the job can be an aunt or uncle, but there are lots of of aunt/uncles that don’t do the job, and chris has definitely earned his stripes.
    But that touching tribute has made me realize that people come and go with closeness to your lives, family is always there at holidays, and if they are not then it’s not always a bad thing. I’m not always very close w my closest family mainly because we are even though I hate to admit it, close to the same meaning stubborn and cement headed, so space isn’t always bad.
    Chris on other hand has been the guy w beard from church”the camera w the beard”, the guy from youth group, chris from the mission trips, a friend of mine from church, but he has recently been upgraded to my cousin chris, I don’t think a guy can go any higher on my scale of closeness. I am close w my cousin jon, where I’ll work for free all day in his shop just to hang out before going to my work, when a guy will work for food only for a person, that’s my definition of close, so yes chris gets my 2 thumbs up for being an uncle to some amazing red heads and the promise that I’ll show up to help w any nasty jobs or hang out w him…if there is food involved after

  3. Jesse,

    Pick an email and stick with it! I can’t keep switching your avatar every time you leave a comment. But comment frequently.

    Both,

    Very kind words that I’m sure I only partially live up to, but it is something to aspire to!

    Andy,

    Not to worry. This was for my co-working friend Michelle. There is a block of ice where her heart should be. Mostly because she hates animals. It is amazing that she is as decent of a person as she is considering this horrible handicap.

    I don’t have a ton of nasty jobs, but rest assured, I always pay with food. The only real currency that I know.

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