On Friday I spent a hour with an amazing woman named Linda. She is my good friends mother who happens to be quite an amazing photographer. We drove her to the airport to begin her travels that would end her in Afghanistan. She is going to cover the elections that will be taking place.
Linda has been to Aghanistan many times since 9/11. She also has been to Iraq to cover the war. She has brought back some of the most amazing photographs I have ever seen. There are filled with pain, joy, and really capture the human spirit. She loves what she does, and uses a lot of her work to aid relief organizations.
She puts her life on the line, yet in a different way than a solider does. She tries to make it real for us back home. She brings a face to the wars. She shows us why we are there, and somtimes why we shouldn't be. But we get the information and I think that is very valuble.
She covers her long blonde hair in a Hijab, and tries not to look American. Every trip she is in danger. She risks her life to show others what is going on in our world. She brings photos to schools, to educate children on how the world is bigger than just the United States. On her trips, she also brings letters back and forth from children to children. These letters are beautiful, and provide a window into a life we may have never knew existed.
I am thankful for our soliders who put themselves in harms way to try and better our lives. I am also thankful for people like Linda who risk their life to bring us beautiful art, that opens a door to educate ourselves in ways I had never thought possible.