Why this picture means so much...

A few months ago I changed the home picture on this blog to be this.

It was taken by Ashley who has not only become a friend but also our go to family photographer.  She is WONDERFUL and I tell everyone who asks me about pictures to contact her.  She is great!  When she first sent me this picture I loved it for many reasons.

1.       I think it captures our family in a natural state… Isabelle is usually the center of attention and it captures the boy’s interest in life.  Jarrett’s positioned in a way that shows his natural role… our greatest supporter.  Often in the background keeping the engine going, not getting credit where his credit is due. 

2.       And then there’s the rainbow in the upper right hand corner of the picture.  A constant reminder that while Noah isn’t physically with us, he is always there.  In a subtle but constant way, we are reminded that a bond doesn’t end when our time here on Earth does.

3.       The third reason why I like this picture so much is that while it looks like we are a family of five, the reality is, in this picture we are actually a family of 7.  At the time Ashley captured this picture, no one other than Jarrett and I knew that we were expecting our baby girl.  Notice now the long, loose fitting shirt-  that was purposeful.   When I look at this picture I am reminded of the heartache I feel in losing Noah who I love so much, but the joy the tiny life growing inside me brings… Like the saying about a rainbow baby… there is a rainbow of hope at the end of every storm.  In so many ways Noah and this baby girl represent hope.   I realize going forward there will always be a member of our family we will not be able to visually capture.  His sprit lives on in each of us, so I know he will be there.  And while this picture was taken a few months after his death, I can’t help but feel it is one of the few (if only) picture that captures a time in our life when we were caught in the crossroads of life as Noah’s was ending and baby girl’s just beginning.

To many it may look like a family of five with a faint rainbow in the background.  To me it is a picture of a family whose endured a lot, loves more and clings to hope for the greatness the future can hold.

Until next time,

Angie