Day 18 - { photoshop! }

Don't you think Photoshop is a "tender mercy"? I do! This may seem like a rather frivolous thing to be grateful for. :) I am grateful for Photoshop just for how fun it is to play with and to learn how to design stuff with.

But I am grateful on a deeper level for it because it granted me a wish--to see all of my family in one photo together.

 

At Benjamin's birth in November 2007, we were so blessed to have many beautiful pictures taken, by my mom and also by Jaime, the nurse who attended us. However, one of my sons was not willing to come into the room. He said it was "too sad." This broke my heart. I tried and tried to convince him, reminding him this was his only chance to see his little brother in this life. He simply couldn't overcome his fear of the sadness.

So we never got that family picture I wanted so desperately.

 

Later I got an idea. I can't remember how exactly. (Was it from you, Becky?)

 

Last autumn we arranged for our sweet friend Sonja, who is a very talented photographer, to take family photos of us at the cemetary. We tried to time it just right for when the trees had the most brilliant colors. The picture we used for our Christmas card was one from this photo session.

I told her about my idea, and she was so sweet to work with it and make helpful suggestions.

Beforehand I studied pictures of me holding Benjamin and tried to memorize exactly how my hands were.

Then at the photo shoot I held a white blanket just the same way.

It was wonderful to have these special pictures taken at the peaceful place where Benjamin is buried, and at the time of year when we welcomed him into our family! It really felt like he was there with us!

Sonja was so awesome to give me a disk that very night, and I came home and immediately set about putting Benjamin into the pictures. I used Photoshop to "cut him out" of the pictures from his birth, and edited them as best I could to fit well in these new pictures. Then I moved him over! :)

 

And here is the shot that fulfilled my fervent wish:

That night I must have spent several hours putting Benjamin into these pictures. It felt SO GOOD to see us ALL TOGETHER!!!!! I just loved it!! I slept so well that night with those images in my head. It was sweet.

 

Andrea taught me how to put a photo on canvas, and I plan to do that with the picture of the whole family, and put it above our fireplace mantel. . . .

 

Heavenly Father is so good to us! He has sent us here to earth to pass through pain and difficulties so that we may learn and develop our spirits. Yet He doesn't just sit back and feel sad for us. He is right with us every step of the way, finding ways to show His love even in the midst of our sorrows.

To me this was one of His "tender mercies," to be able to "see" our family as it really is.

The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

                                                                                      ~Psalm 145:9