“My Blog Became My Voice” – Roger Ebert

Today’s post started out as a story about the 40th anniversary of the cell phone; a milestone we hit mid-week when I usually start planning my Sunday post and what I should write about. Just imagine how far our mobile phones have come!  I intended to write about the crazy miracle that my “phone” is when it is capable of taking photos like the one above, shot in Grand Bend this morning. The fantastic Hipstamatic iPhone app allows you to recreate vintage techniques like the 1800’s tintype portrait. All of this in a cell phone! And then Thursday happened.

One of my most favourite and brave people passed away. Roger Ebert of “two thumbs up” fame succumbed to a long and gruelling battle with thyroid cancer. Most of you will know his story. It is one of persistence in the face of terrible obstacles. Unable to speak, Ebert found his voice in social media – in his blog and remarkably short and witty jousts on Twitter. As he writes: “My blog became my voice, my outlet, my ‘social media’ in a way I couldn’t have dreamed of. Into it I poured my regrets, desires, and memories.” Over the past 10 years when his life became a a series of devastating losses, he continued to write posts, and some amazingly humorous captions for the famous New Yorker cartoons, that reminded the world he was still here. Even in his last post on Tuesday where he claimed he was taking a “leave of presence” to fight a new onset of cancer, he maintained his hope for the future and his place in it.

For all of us struggling through losses large and small, we are fortunate to have courageous souls like Roger Ebert and their stories to buoy us when we need a shot in the arm or a hand up when the road ahead looks unfamiliar or daunting. I would highly recommend his memoir, Life Itself if you need a reminder about how to live life fully with appreciation. I give it two thumbs up!

If you would like to learn more about tintype photography, and hear another story of an artist following their passion, please check out this article and video here on photographer Ian Ruhter. His story makes me want to hit the road and take more snaps!