There is a story to go with this picture. Every picture has a story, doesn’t it? I’m quite certain this story will touch you. The email comes from Melissa in Minnesota and I share this with her permission.

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The picture was taken in early May as we planted an apple tree in our backyard in remembrance of our sweet baby, taken to heaven before we had the chance to meet him. We were so devastated by this loss and I knew I wanted to photograph/document the process of the tree planting in some way and watching my husbands loving hands in the dirt and surrounding the tree stuck me as the perfect moment.

I’ve have often read about the need to document the ‘hard’ parts of life as well as the happy times/moments, but had never done so. I wanted a picture of the event and all it represented, but a ‘typical picture’ of the tree or our yard just didn’t seem to fit the part. The hands shot filled that role for me … the idea of new life growing in ground, being surrounded by the love our family-captured perfectly why we were planting that tree — a tangible representation of the hope and love we feel for our sweet baby.

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As with so many others that share their stories with me, thank you Melissa. Thank you for sharing this with all of us, and for being an incredible example of strength. I am grateful for every story that I read and hear from those who are photographing, journaling, documenting their story. This is what Project Life is all about.