... (among other things) fed my family, dusted, vacuumed, changed my linens, washed Noah's floor, done 9 loads of laundry, did a little crafting (see below), read to and cuddled my children, created a sticker chart for Daniel, sent 72 emails, had my eyes tested, dealt with the builder, had two friends and their children to lunch, gone to the Post Office to deposit a cheque, driven Daniel to and from school, driven Grant to and from work, made sure my plants were watered, helped the missionaries with some graphic design they needed done (on two occasions), watched 2 or 3 episodes of CSI on DVD, took photographs, washed my windows, prepared two meals for tomororw (one for the oven for lunch and one for the crockpot for supper) ... and still managed to fit in 15 and a quarter hours of work on my business, including editing photos, entering invoices into my accounting software, filing, backing up, sorting through orders, framing, an ordering consultation with clients, packaging products, graphic design work, price research, and updating my website, and not including the trip to Ikea for frames (which took 5 hours because I went with Laura and we stopped for dessert) and the trips to 3 framers for quotes and 2 departments at the maternity hospital. I. Am. Superwoman.
I. Am. TIRED.
I am also excited, though, at the new opportunity that I have to serve at the hospital. Well, I first went to the maternity wards to speak to the ward manager about hanging large framed pictures of newborns in their day lounges and leaving business cards out, but she wasn't in this week and will only be back on Monday. I then went upstairs to NeoNates (infant ICU) to talk to the manager there about donating my time to take photographs for the parents of critically ill, terminal or stillborn babies, as photographs are sometimes all the grieving parents are left with. I feel so strongly about serving in this way. There is no branch of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep here or I would join that charity, but I didn't want that to stop me.
The floor manager wasn't available so I spoke to someone else, who said she would have to talk to the manager. I left a letter with them detailing what I would provide (at no cost: a CD of high res images and a set of 4x6 prints) and quoting some of NILMDTS's message on their website: "For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography and videography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives."
I want these families to have quality images and plenty of them. I am so grateful for the talent and opportunities I have been blessed with that I really feel the need to give back with service.
She phoned me back later and said that they would be thrilled to take me up on my offer and would have a meeting with their bereavement team as I would be working through them, and then I would need to be cleared with the NHS Trust. I am so grateful ... I have been blessed with two wonderful children who might not be here today, especially considering that I had obstetric cholestasis. I am just humbled that I can in some small way be able to help others who are not as fortunate. Let's hope I get Trust clearance.
