This amazing beauty is one of my older daughter's close friends.  She’s part of the flock of girls that comes and goes at our house so much that we expect her to be here and miss her when she’s not.  In fact, she's more than that.  She is the daughter of a friend of mine from my own childhood. 

It's just the sweetest feeling when life comes full circle like this.

Harley is one of those girls who is involved in a wide variety of activities.  She hunts with her dad, plays soccer, is an honor student, involved in her church youth group and competes in pageants.  Actually, she wins most of her pageants.  That should be obvious when you look at her.

So, when her mother asked me if I would do some new headshots for her photogenic competitions, I was so excited.  It’s a new niche for me, and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. 

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Let me tell you something I’m learning lately.

Teen girls are fascinating and challenging, in many ways.  They’re so smart.  They’ve seen so much of the world already, most of which they would be better off having NOT seen yet.  They’re constantly bombarded with negative messages about their worth or the source of that worth.  As a parent of a girl who will turn 13 in two short months, I do my best to stand guard over her innocence and reinforce the truths her dad and I have taught her. 

Harley’s parents are doing a great job of this with her.  She has a confidence in who she is and who loves her.  She knows that her physical beauty pales to the beauty in her heart.  She believes that anything is possible and is determined to make the world a better place.

I pray that she never, ever forgets this.