Sick and tired of being sick and tired
Had as much of you as I can take
I'm so done, so over being afraid

I've gone through the motions
I've been back and forth
I know that you're thinking you've heard this before
I don't know how to say it
So I'm just gonna say it, yeah

Fear, you don't own me
There ain't no room in this story
And I ain't got time for you
Telling me what I'm not
Like you know me well guess what?
I know who I am
I know I'm strong
And I am free
Got my own identity
So fear, you will never be welcome here

Take a minute, let it settle in
You probably never saw it coming
Something's gotta give so I give up you, oh
There's no room for you here
Yeah, I've had enough
The "No Vacancy" sign on my heart is lit up
In case you didn't hear it
Here it is again,

Oh, fear, you don't own me
There ain't no room in this story
And I ain't got time for you
Telling me what I'm not
Like you know me well guess what?
I know who I am
I know I'm strong
And I am free
Got my own identity
So fear, you will never be welcome here

Is there anybody out there just like me?
Anybody needing fear to leave?
If you don't know how to say it
Sing along with me

Sing fear, you don't own me
There ain't no room in this story
And I ain't got time for you
Telling me what I'm not
Like you know me well guess what?
I know who I am
I know I'm strong, brave
And I am free
Got my own identity
So fear, you will never be welcome here
Whoa, goodbye, goodbye fear
Whoa, you will never be welcome here

 

Francesca Battistelli - The Breakup Song
Songwriters: Bart Millard / David Garcia / Francesca Battistelli
The Breakup Song lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

Her face may be familiar to you, as she has graced our blog and social media several times. If you're just now meeting her, she's one of the sweetest, most compassionate women. Jen is gracious and graceful and I always love photographing her. This time around, she wanted to do something different, something that let her branch out, something creative, something that excited her. 

She sent me oodles of images for inspiration, mainly featuring a parachute dress. Whilst I don't have a parachute dress in my collection, I knew I could create a dress for her. We sent styles back and forth to each other and then got down to selecting a location. Now, being frank, I was a bit apprehensive about photographing at the Arts Park in downtown Winston-Salem. I'm definitely a bare-feet in the grass, fields of flowers and waterfalls kind of lady! However, if Jennifer was willing to push herself, I was willing to be right there with her. 

The final bit of inspiration was a story Jennifer sent me. I asked her to send me a story or a feeling she wanted to have captured with these images. This is her story.

"Once there was a girl who was a dreamer, a lover of life with a big open heart. She believed so much in the good in others and had hope for a fairy tale life for herself. Unfortunately, she tended to let the wrong people into her life and she often got left behind holding the pieces of her heart. These pieces were all that were left for her to start over and she did it again and again, opening her heart and being shattered once more. Yet, she remained strong, and kept building her strength, because she knew God had a beautiful plan for her. Her parachute represents the perseverance that has kept her going all these years and her realization that nothing is going to stop her from believing because she always has always been filled with hope and had her own back."

This is what we created to celebrate her strength and her journey, her love and her resilience. Jen has titled this series "Becoming Fearless" and I couldn't love the name any more than I do because it's perfect for her!