Although you can not hear her voice
or see her smile no more…
your mother walks beside you still…
just as she did before…
She listens to your stories and…
she wipes away your tears…
she wraps her arms around you…
and she understands your fears…
It’s just she isn’t visible…
to see with human eye…
but talk to her in silence and…
her spirit will reply…
You’ll feel the love she has for you…
you’ll hear her in your heart…
she’s left her human body but…
your souls will never part.
Oh gosh we are living in such uncertain times…everyone is scared. Things we took for granted in the past are now considered the most valuable. Human touch and connection, time with those you love, something we always thought we’d have are now potentially being taken away from us faster than we can imagine. So many of my photographer colleagues are being forced to close their businesses…social distancing and quarantining are making luxuries like photography unattainable. Families are being encouraged to stay home, stay safe, protect themselves and protect those more vulnerable. Then there is the extra layer of a newborn, the most vulnerable little being there is….no immunity and the most valuable thing in your life.
Now having said all of that, today’s session makes me scared about the future I described above. Two years ago I met the sweetest family. They brought their little love Elianna to me for her newborn session. After a harrowing journey of loss, they finally got their little rainbow and we had a really special session, filled with tears, filled with happiness, but mostly filled with love. We captured memories that would adorn their walls, fill their home and be handed down for generations to come. We showed every little detail of sweet little Elianna and all her newness…before she grew and changed from that teeny tiny newborn stage. But this session had an extra special layer because Elianna’s Nanna came on the day. Now this is nothing unusual, and often we capture photo’s of grandparents with their new little grandchildren and generation photo’s of a grandparent, a parent and a new baby. All things that will be treasured forever. What we knew that day though was that Elianna’s Nanna’s time earthside was limited, she was in the trenches of a battle with cancer and her body was tired. Not long after their session I learnt her suffering had ended and she was at peace. I felt honoured to have had the opportunity to capture images of her with her new grandaughter Elianna and images of the three generations together.
Recently mumma got in touch to say they were expecting a new little miracle which I must admit, was a little bitter sweet so I can only imagine how heart breaking this journey has been for the family to navigate. Knowing Nanna will never meet the newest edition and their new little love will never know what an amazing woman she truly was in person. So we set about creating a special set up that brought the girls Nanna, Joy, to the session with us today. I stayed up till midnight the night before, I laid out a hundred little things, none felt special enough, but I realized in the end that it had nothing to do with what I set up because I can tell you 100% she was there with us today regardless. I felt her safe hands resting gently on their sweet baby. We used her beautiful shirt she wore to Elianna’s session, we included lots of purple, her favourite colour, a little collection of treasures in the set up…’her treasure’ being the nickname Joy would have had for this sweet new addition, including a butterfly so we know she’s watching over the girls and a loveheart to show she had nothing but love for these babies. I tried to do a live video twice before I eventually did but I was teary and not sure I could hold it together on facebook to show you just how special this magic was. I did finally do a live, but by that stage there had been a poonami that took away from the magic of the moment and sweet Miss A was ready for a snack!!
But the point of this story…this moment could have been missed because of the way the world is at the moment. This memory may not have been captured and the feels felt on this day by all could have been missed. We are at risk of losing these moments, this connection. Sure, mumma could have done something with her iphone, but this was so much more than an image. It’s about having memories on the walls, prints passed down to these girls children. The story of Joy and all her beauty and love shared for many generations to come. The universe brought this family to me, I captured a gift newborn rainbow session for mumma’s best friend through the Mater Pregnancy After Loss Clinic over four years ago and that family then recommended me on to today’s mumma. So many little angels in heaven, now all being loved on by Joy, made today’s magic happen. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this story in such a small way. I don’t want there to come a day where in the world that we are living in at the moment means that these stories can’t happen. Have faith that we can make it happen. Continue to treasure these moments and make these memories. Hold onto those you love because you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
Joy…it was an honour to meet you with sweet Elianna and to share in some of your precious time left here earthside.
World….Meet Arabella.x.
Holding onto Joy’s beautiful shirt and snuggling sweet Arabella onto it, the little treasures for her little treasure…the butterfly and the heart…and that sweet calm that came over Arabella when I’m sure her Nanna’s hands were resting over her little one….all the feels.
And then of course lots of purples and plums…Joy’s favourite colours.
Speaking of sweet Elianna it was so good to see her again and see how big she’s gotten. She was the most adoring if not vigorously loving big sister lol! And could she get any cuter…those little piggy tails and all that cheese!!!!
Luckily mumma also mentioned navy cause who doesn’t love little girls in blue?
This was a special capture too of Arabella and her two angel siblings that came before her time that are watching down on her from heaven….
Oh lordy…these girls…all the snugs….
And mumma’s four babies all together…
Oh my heart…it’s having all the feels as I share this special post with you this evening. Please love on your family. Please continue to value images because before they are all you have.
Natasha & Duane thank you for trusting me to keep your family safe during uncertain times and bringing your beautiful new addition to me to create special magic.
Sweet Solly at 21 weeks old!!
Sweet Oscar at 30 weeks!
Sweet Chloe at 12 weeks!
