It is one thing to photograph people. It is another to make others care about them by revealing the core of their humanness. (Paul Strand)

Oct. 9– When her daughter, Mia, was in the 8th grade, I noticed Jennifer at the Indianapolis International Airport. She was crouched in the corner of the waiting area, looking a bit sullen. It didn’t take me long to pry from her that while she was trying hard to be present for her daughter’s big field trip to DC that had been long since paid for, her mind was elsewhere in the middle of another place– a place of crisis. Her beautiful heart was revealed to me during those few days, and I have never forgotten. We rarely forget the day we encounter a grace-filled soul.

Into all our lives, God allows some chaos. Maybe it’s all just the result of our free will, or perhaps the mayhem draws us near to Him who made us. I’m not sure I’ll ever figure it out. I do know this, when we trust our cares to the God of love, He reminds us that we are above all things, His children, and we are precious. Jennifer is a woman of faith, and she knows this well. We’ve talked about it over coffee, actually.

The mother of three and grandmother of one very blessed boy named Jack, Jennifer is also a wife to a truly nice man named John. She’s a gifted photographer. So talented is Jennifer that each time I see a photo of one of her subjects posted online, I think to myself…”what an unbelievable joy that must be to those people, that family.” Oh, to have even one picture of my own family that reveals the kind of beauty and relationships her pictures always expose! I’m not kidding, y’all…she’s that good.

I’m not exactly sure how old Jennifer Driscoll is, but I’d be willing to be $100 that she’s older than she looks. The woman is a stunner. Each of her three daughters is equally so. She is plugged into her faith life and often I see her at daily mass. Maybe that’s her secret? She might post about her computer crashing or the end of her patience after a busy week, or she perhaps will share about it’s just been one of those days. However, she seems to always settle at the end on positivity and rest in the fact that God loves us, even when we are frazzled.

Supportive, funny and intelligent, Jennifer is a woman with many interests and a giving heart. I noticed recently, for instance, that she was involved in mentoring some young women, and then another day the O’Connor House in Carmel shared a big thank you to her for coming in and taking photos of their new moms and beautiful babies. She’s a generous woman who shares her time and her talents with others. Its a lovely example to the rest of us. We’ve got to get out there and do our part, be like Jennifer!

Today, Jennifer is celebrating her birthday! There’s no better day then to give her a shout out and let her know that many of us have noticed that she is pretty special! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNIFER!! Thanks for all you do to make the world a little more sparkly!