To me, she is the water… | Guest Feature | Dylan John Western Photography
It was March, a month after my wife and I lost our daughter Ava at 25 weeks pregnant. I was driving on the coast and I came up on a hill. I pulled over, got out of my car with the wind nearly pulling me over. At once with this scene in front of me I thought on something I had read recently:
‘Suppose we are looking at the Ocean. On the surface we see waves rising and falling. From the point of view of the waves, there is birth and death, high and low, rising and falling. There are distinctions between the waves. But each wave is made of a substance called water. It is a wave, but at the same time, it is water. Concepts such as birth and death, higher and lower, rising and falling apply only to the wave, not to the water itself. So the waves represent the historical dimension and the water represents the ultimate dimension.’
To me she is the water.
After taking this image I fell over and cried. Really cried. Not one of those “I’m trying to hold it in because I’m a man” cries. There was no one around so I really let loose.
I hope to take more images like this.”
-Dylan John Western
I know some of my angel baby Mamas (and Daddy’s too) can relate to Dylan. I immediately was covered in goosebumps as I read his story and viewed his image. If you are in the same place… know you aren’t alone. You are loved. And this Mama right here cares about you. I can’t take your pain away or bring your little one back, but I can walk with you during the dark unsettling times; share a box of Kleenex with you… and pray with you… and find that spot… just like Dylan did, where you can help the healing continue.
To follow more of Dylan and his beautiful photography work, he can be reached here. Thank you so much for allowing me to share this very very personal story with my readers Dylan. I just know it will resonate with someone out there…
xoxo,