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In a couple of days we will all be with friends and family celebrating Thanksgiving.  If that is not the case for you, I wish you a warm and great Thanksgiving, if you’re near me, come on over, trust me everyone else is, we have 22 coming for Thanksgiving dinner!!!  So back to my Thanksgiving thoughts.

 

I have so much to be thankful for;

 

The greatest decsion of my life was the day I asked Jesus to come into my heart and life and take over.  I’ve wrestled with Him for control most of the 54 years since, but I finally surrendered and it’s been a lot smoother sailing since then.

 

I’m married to the most beautiful, caring, kind and intelligent girl & woman!  She is truly the love of my life!

 

She has teamed up with me to have the most incredible family, three great kids, (adults now), and they have given us 6 grandchildren!  The Holidays are great when we can all be together.

 

I’ve been blessed with some wonderful friends.  Jack Graham has been such a great friend to work with teaching and running workshops together, he really makes me laugh!  Jim Haverstock has been the brother and friend that has been a constant reminder of character and class!  Jim Begley helped me start His Light Workshops and remains a dear friend.  Now that my parents are gone my brother Homer and I are what’s left of our side of the Fortney family,  I really love him!  So many other friends to count, Carl Turner, Charles Stanley and many many others!  I’m so blessed!

 

I love to make images, and hold a camera in my hands, and I’ve been blessed to be able to do it for 47 years.

 

I am so blessed that I get to write and share with others and doubley blessed that you read this stuff!  I hope it blesses you!  Thanks for coming along and Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

It’s been a great season, and it is coming to a close.  Standing alone in Zion, on the way out, I saw these wonderful pines up against the red rock.  I love Red and Green, what a great Christmas color combination.  The majesty of Zion, is always a joy, but knowing I was drawing down on a long season and headed to my favorite season, the Christmas Holidays, a season I could never miss.

 

I will open my Christmas Season with two folks I love so much, Joe McNally and his bride, Anne Cahill.  We will make a great start to the season.

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, we are off to a fast start in Nashville.  We hav another great group of attendees and old friends, plus some wonderful guest and our Fuji team!  It has been non stop, always is, and so I’ve been late getting a post up, but here are some the shots form the first two days!  More to come, I promise!!!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Next years Nashville/Ricky Skaggs Workshop is already being planned!!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

What a week!  I have to take a moment on Sunday and share my excitement!  The blessings of this past week fall into several categories so I’ll break them down as such;

 

PERSONAL  –  Shererlene and I really had a great trip together out to  Photoshop World.  She was able to get some well deserved rest!  We had some wonderful dinners and just had some time together away from the complications of home and work!  I find it hard to believe that after 45 years I fall more madly in love with Sherelene  every day!!  Then again, it’s not hard to believe at all!!!  God really blessed me when He allowed me to have her as my partner for life!!!  Not sure what He had against here though!!!

 

PROFESSIONAL  –   This was my fourth Photoshop World as a member of the team, and wow what a team it is.  Thanks to Scott Kelby I have a whole new family!!  As a photographer, working with this group,  is like being named to the All Pro Team in the NFL! Each team member has a certain following and I’m thrilled with gentle souls that come to my classes!  I gave my Americana program for the second time and had made lots of changes to it and I was thrilled that I had huge crowd and it was so well received!  I will always be in debt to Scott for making me a part of such a fun event!!!

 

SPIRITUAL  –   Those of you that come to visit me here now know what my mission is, but if your new, let me share it with you.  I owe all the blessings of my life to Jesus Christ.  Over 33 year ago I made the life long commitment to serve Him every moment of my life!  I want everyone to know the joy and peace of being His,  but I do not have that power to accomplish that in my owns power.   After much study of the Word,  I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to adequately serve Him is to give Him each day, submit to His will, and love others with His love, the rest is all in His hands!   I went to Photoshop World committed to share my testimony in the evening panel program called the Art of Digital Photography.  I reached out to all of you to pray for me, that I would let go and allow the Holy Spirit to be in control, and your prayers were answered!!!  Since we are talking about a victory by, and for, Him, I can tell you that I got a text yesterday from Scott Kelby telling me he heard I “crushed it”, and his sources said it was one of the best programs ever!  Doesn’t surprise me, that’s what happens when you turn loose and let Him have it.  As long as you desire for Him to get all the glory, it frees you up to do your best, and leave the rest to Him!!!

 

FELLOWSHIP  –  I don’t get to see these friends but a couple of times a year, so the time we have is so incredibly sweet!  I enjoy every person I get to spend time with at Photoshop World, from those that stop you in the hall to pay you very nice compliments, to the team members that you enjoy moments of real fellowship!!  I love Scott, but he is in such demand that four days we rarely get more than a minute or two together, but I did get a lot of time with some of best friends at the event; Pete Collins, RC Concepcion, Matt Kloskowski, Glyn Dewis, Moose Peterson and his incredible family, Dave Black, Joe McNally, Anne Cahill,  (Joe’s wife), Corey Barker, Bert Monroy, Alan Hess, Scott Diussa, Ben Wilmore, Brian Smith, David Ziser, Eddie Tapp, Frank Doorhof,  Jack Davis, Jim DiVitale, Kevin Ames, Joe Glyda, Larry Becker, Richard Harrington, Terry White, and Tim Wallace.  The Photoshop World Staff are incredible as well!!!  Oh my goodness what a list, how incredibly blessed I am!!!!

 

So true wrap up is, “Thank you Lord for blessing me so much more that I could ever deserve!!”

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim