Words from Guest Blogger, Amy

Today's Guest Blog is from Amy. Her son is one of our Tiny Light babies. They recently had their session done by Melissa DePape. James' story and photos will be up on the Tiny Light site within the next few weeks. Watch for it, he is adorable!

If you are interetested in being a Guest Blogger, please email me at: angela@thetinylight.com

 No parent ever wants the hear a doctor say, “There is something wrong with your child.” There is an audible snap of your heart, followed by a fog of shoc, blurred vision and sound. No matter what the diagnosis, it shakes you to your core. For me it was a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome and serious heart defects in my son, James. From diagnosis, to treatment, to survival you learn, you live, you love. There are so many memories from the times of trial to the moments of pure joy. The Tiny Light Foundation brings mental snapshots of these memories into actual photographs.

I heard about the Tiny Light Foundation first from an article in our local paper where I recognized the picture of Melissa DePape and Angela Stephen-Dewhurst. Angela and I are moms to daughters in the same Kindergarten class. I proceeded to go the foundation's website to find out more about it. My first impression was what a wonderful gift it would be to have pictures of my precious James with his family. I have always wanted to get family pictures done, but with finances strained already it was an expense that I couldn't justify with our tight budget. The Tiny Light Foundation was the answer to my wish. I applied for James and waited for our photo shoot with Melissa DePape. I had secretly wished for Melissa to do our photos, as we share the common ground of having children with similar stories.

Our photo-shoot was perfect. The rain held off that day. The wind stirred up quite a bit but that led to moments of laughter and extra snuggly pictures as we tried to keep warm. Melissa was wonderfully calm and patient with our five children. She made us all feel at ease and made the whole experience comfortable and enjoyable. I find myself at a loss for words to describe the absolutely wonderful photographs that were taken that day. They were stunning and beautiful and something I will treasure forever.

It is hard to think of a way to thank this amazing foundation for all that they do. Maybe one day I will find a way. Until then I will support them in any way I can, for they have given me a way to see the love in my family just by looking at a photograph.

~ Amy Watkins, Tiny Light Mother

Photo by Melissa DePape Photography
www.melissadepape.com