Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Today is a very important day... a day of remembrance and of reflection for some, a day of thankfulness for others. It is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Those of you who know me well, may already know of the burden I have for families who have lost babies. Several of my family members and close friends have experienced this devastating loss. In 2007, I began a photo retouching service called Heartprints. In the past two and a half years, I have dealt with hundreds of devastated parents, helping them restore their beautiful memories of children they can no longer hold in their arms. I would like to share with you a short piece I wrote last year regarding the work I do.

"At first glance, the photograph looks like so many others. A mother holding her newborn daughter, with a smile on her face. The little girl in a flowered dress, wrapped in a handmade blanket. Rosebud lips, button nose, and silky brown hair.

Take a closer look, and the image changes. Tears are brimming in the mother's eyes... the smile just a little too wide, too bright to be real. You can almost see her chin quivering as she attempts to pose for the photo, knowing it will be the last time she holds her little girl. The baby, dressed and swaddled with such care, suddenly looks a little too pale... her lips a little too blue, her face slightly bruised. The grim realization hits... this is not a joyful picture afterall. This beautiful little girl was stillborn just days before her due date.

So many times since Heartprints was created, I have felt like a voyeur into the most private pain a mother can feel. As I work on photographs of mothers holding babies who will never draw a breath, I cannot bring myself to look into their eyes. I want to erase the tears, the red eyes, the grief-stricken face... and I realize that while I may be able to fix a photo, only God can fix the broken hearts.

A mother recently wrote to me... "You have given me everything, so much, I couldn't ever thank you enough, couldn't ever give you enough. You've healed a little part of my soul." Her words seemed so disproportionate to the work I do. My prayer for every family that I encounter is that they will find true healing, true comfort from the One who is the Giver and Creator of all life. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away... Blessed be the name of the Lord."

If you are one of the many who have experienced the loss of a child at any age, please know that my heart goes out to you. If you are one of the fortunate who has been untouched by such grief, please hug your children tight and count your blessings every day.