Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

About one week ago I was contacted by a nurse from a local hospital. She informed me that a family needed my assistance immediately and asked if I could come to the hospital that evening. A beautiful little girl had been born and we would only be able to be with her for a very short time.

I was able to get there, and we were able to capture the photographs.

I called the family this evening to let them know their pictures were finished, and that they could view them. The family was grateful. I felt a huge sense of satisfaction.

You see, this family will likely have these photos for the rest of their lives. In sixty years, the family won't remember who the photographer was that came to visit them in the hospital (nor should they)... but they will remember the color of their daughter's hair, and the way her beautiful little fingers and toes looked.

Some folks wonder how it's possible to capture such a sad event in an appropriate way. To demystify the process, I am going to post one of the pictures I took of this family. Sure there are others (and the pictures of the mother and father holding their little girl are absolutely breathtaking...) - but I'm going to keep them private for the family.

So, the next time you are at a hospital or an OBGYN, and you have a couple extra minutes, ask the staff if they know about Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Maybe they will be able to help a family, similar to this one.

It breaks my heart that right now, as I type this, the family is seeing the slideshow for the first time. It must be so hard. But maybe in some small way, it makes them feel more at peace. Now, they will be able to look at their daughter whenever they wish...