Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Remember

We're still here, and we're alive. It's been a crazy hard 2 weeks. I'm just now starting to feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things. However, the thing I've learned the most about these past 2 weeks are my FAMILY! Holy cow am I grateful for my family. And not just because they do so much for me, but I'm grateful that I can do things for them.

Last Sunday, we were on our way home from my mom's and I got a call from my cousin telling my that my cousin Tagg and his sweet, sweet, wife Katie, had lost their baby at 32 weeks along. Devastating. I dropped Rob and Evva off and headed to American Fork. Not knowing what to expect my sweet sister came to watch Evva the next day while Chandi and I were able to stay at the hospital until Katie's parents arrived from Texas. Seeing them have to make decisions about everything that had to be done brought me to tears countless times throughout the following days. They are much to young to have to be doing this. And all Tagg kept saying was that it's "Part of the plan." I believe it is so rare and such a tender opportunity to see a man show so much love and concern for his wife, and I'm still in awe at how Tagg took every moment to make sure Katie had everything she needed, to comfort her, to strengthen her, and to cry with her. It honestly touched my heart in ways that will stick with me forever.
I know that they feel so weak and hurt at this moment in time, and I can't say that the pain will end soon, but I know that they don't want to forget. They don't want to forget the little time they had to hold his little body in their arms, they don't want to forget the feeling that was in the room. They don't want to forget the love they felt for this little boy who was sent to help them return to our God above. They want to remember what it was like to give him a bath, and dress his little body. They want to remember the way they became closer and had to lean on each other in ways they never thought they would. They want to remember how thin the veil was and think of it often so they can remember what they will be working towards for the rest of this earthly life. And I pray they do.
They asked me to take pictures for them when little Zachary made his way here and all I could do was pray that I would be able to capture those tender, tender moments that they could hold on to so that time would not let them forget the little moments. It was a complete honor and I hope that I have given them something priceless to remember.

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6 comments:

Katie Petersen said...

Thank you so much your post. Of course it made me cry. You said it perfectly. We want to remember all of those things for the rest of our lives and I think the photos you took will help us more than anything remember those things. We just love you so much and are glad we got to share our sacred time with Zach with you as well.

The Birds said...

Katie said it, that you said it perfectly. And it of course made me cry too...all those emotions came right to the surface once again. In fact, I'm still bawling. I've wanted to post about it too, but don't know that I could ever find the words to express how that experience truly effected me, but what I do know is that I will never forget it either and as much as I wish I could take it all away from Tagg and Katie, I'm grateful that it brought us all closer together. Love you..

Oh, and the pictures are priceless...you asked and the Lord guided you...

Unknown said...

My heart is with you, your cousin and his wife. Last year my cousin also lost a young one around that same age. It is a very unforgettable experience.
I wish you all the best and am glad that you were able to be there for them and able to help them out in such a personal way-catching their memory for them. I am sure that they will always be very grateful for those beautiful and tender photos.

Amanda Petersen said...

I'm so glad you guys were able to be there for them and I am so grateful you were able to take pictures and help them remember. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. We love you guys and are glad to have such a remarkable family.

Allyson said...

WOW.

You should be a photo journalist. Those photos were SO moving. I am sorry to hear about the loss of such a new little spirit. This was a beautiful post.

Em said...

Crying my eyes out here. You did a wonderful job.