Friday, February 27, 2009

The Miracle of Photography (to honor a greater miracle!)


Could photography be considered a modern miracle? I say yes. Maybe not in the same way as antibiotics, space travel, computers, etc., but isn't it amazing that with a click of a button on a little rectangle box, and with no particular talent, any of us can 'make time stand still', then years later be able to look at a picture and remember in exact detail what food you had at a party, what you really saw on that vacation of a life time, how your missionary looked as he waved goodbye at the MTC.......especially what a loved one looked like at a specific second in time. For those who come after us to actually see our lives and get to know and remember us through our photographs is amazing to me.

I want to thank Adam and Lisa for giving me the honor and privilege of knowing Gabe during his brief sojourn here in mortality. What memories I have, and I am forever grateful to have pictures to remember so many details that I would have forgotten with all that was happening in those brief 2 hours and 17 minutes. (Likewise, I am so grateful for every photograph and video I have of Gavin in his short almost 15 months with us. I treasure each one. They are truly my priceless possessions.)

There is a non-profit organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Its mission is to send professional photographers to hospitals all over the country to photograph dead or dying babies. Usually this is due to late term miscarriages, or stillbirths, or situations like Gabe. This gives the parents beautiful portraits to keep the memory of their little one alive and is given with love at no cost. A lovely lady (professional photographer), who had also lost an infant, took beautiful photos of Gabe, however, the one posted here is one of mine. These once-in-a-lifetime photographs are not only memorable, they are priceless.

Yesterday I ran across a blog by a local photographer who is involved with this organization. Last year she sent one of her images in to a contest and won. It speaks volumes on the sanctity of life, no matter what stage of life one may be in. The parents will treasure this forever. Please click on the following link and scroll down to her post, NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP, Wed, Sept 24, 08, and then to SOUTH VALLEY JOURNAL, Sat, Sept, 6, 08. Click on the newspaper article to see the enlarged photo. I hope this beautiful image moves you as much as it moves me!
http://www.kathrynmichaels.blogspot.com/