full circle....of friends

When Keely was born, we were blessed with a photographer from Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep to photograph our girl and are blessed daily to have those beautiful, tangible memories of her. A few months later, I became and affiliated photographer and later, area coordinator as well. In doing so, I've been blessed to spend time with some truly amazing families and honored to be in the presence of angels. Who gets to say that? Not just anybody <3 I feel so very lucky to have crossed paths with these lovely creatures and the families that love, and miss, them so very much. In an odd twist of fate a media person that I came into contact with a year and a half ago through NILMDTS lost their own child and remembered mine name. Such an honor to get to meet and spend a few precious moments with their child when first, they had come to me about mine.

I'm an oil portrait artist and have been for several years now. Since losing my girl, I have started my own non profit organization wherein I do oil paintings of children for the families they said goodbye to much too soon. I can't begin to describe the kind of peace this brings me and, I hope, the families as well. I love being able to do this in Keely's memory and give the gift of tangible peace to a grieving family. I have a waiting list that is, most likely, a year or more long. Again, I am so very blessed to be a small part of the lives of these beautiful souls.

And MISS. Mothers in Sympathy and Support. What could I possibly have done these past 2.5 years without MISS and the friendships brought to me through that wonderful organization. Lost. Some of the best friends on this earth were met there and I'm so very thankful for that.

All of these things were huge blessings in my life, huge blessings that wouldn't have been without my little girl's life. Every email from a MISS mama that makes me smile is because of my Keely and her angel friends that brought us together. So many little blessings.

I think of other bereaved families as kindred spirits, members of an exclusive club that no one wants to belong to but feels close to and protective of its members. For no matter how much others might try, they can't truly understand and all of us who do wish we didn't.