“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Many of my friends have had a tough year, marked with loss and sadness. Many other friends have experienced a year of success, new births, and reasons for hope. All of us will face both ups and downs in the coming year, including me. I recently read an interview with Stephen Colbert in GQ, in which he cites the above quote, and talks about how he dealt with the loss of his dad and two brothers in a plane crash when he was 10. He’s a thoughtful guy, and he’s thought about this a lot. One of the things he says that has stuck with me is this: “The world—it’s so . . . lovely. I’m very grateful to be alive.” I’ve been trying to be mindful of this every day.

Each year I get to witness the loveliness of the world firsthand, time and time again. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be at so many celebrations where love, joy, and peace are so evident.

I wanted to put together a short two-minute slideshow of 45 of my favorite portraits and wedding images from this past year. Please forgive me if your favorite image isn’t in there—it was a challenge to whittle them down, and I had to set aside many favorite shots.

I hope some of these images will make you laugh or cry, but most of all my wish is that you’ll find hope for the world in all the love, joy and peace so present in these images.

I’m grateful for you all.