I'm a photographer. By now you already know this. I like to take pictures of the world around us here in Northern Indiana, and the Amish who are here, are a photographers delight. And you already know that too.
Here is the story of the picture above. It is a story that has a lot of "twists and turns" and when you think the story is over... it isn't. It reminds me of Paul Harvey's old radio program where he would tell a story that we all more or less acquainted with and then tell us more that we didn't know. He would tell us facts behind the story. He would tell us "The Rest of the Story". And so it is with this picture, just when you think the story is over... there is more.
I normally don't take pictures of peoples faces. Amish or "English". The reasons for which you can ask me if you have interest.
So how did it happen that this picture was taken since you can see the faces of the people?
Well, here is "The Rest of the Story".
This picture was taken in 2015. Pam and I were with Kelly and Pablo. Kelly is a niece and Pablo was her fiancé (I think) and is now her husband. At the time Pablo had expressed interest in being a photographer. So on that day I gave him my camera and he was in the back seat of the car taking pictures out the window.
Pablo took this picture. I thought at the time, "oh no, a picture of faces." But despite my misgivings (and the fact that I didn't take the picture) I published it on my website. It was there alongside thousands of other pictures and I was sure it would find the same anonymity that everything there had (and has).
But, my major patron "The Blue Gate", selected the picture as something to display in their restaurant area. Should I fill this order? Should I go into a long story about how it has people's faces and that Pablo took the picture? Or would that story just bore them? So I had the picture processed and sent to them.
So that was done. Picture taken. Picture printed and hung.
Time to move on.
All is forgotten.
I'm a curmudgeon, (I just looked up the word and the words that define that word are even lesser known to me). I work on my little projects and get tunnel vision. No one cares about what I do or even less about when I'm doing it, but I get so overly focused that I don't really like being interrupted.
On one of those focused occasions the phone rings.
Some lady wants to know about a picture. A picture. One of thousands. One of some Amish. Okay that narrows it down from thousands to hundreds.
I'm trying to listen. She wants to know if I supply pictures to "The Blue Gate". Yes, I do.
She has this quiet voice. Not pushy or demanding. Almost apologetic. So her reticence starts to draw me in.
She unwinds a story. The part that removed me from my tunnel vision, restored me to humanity and finally got my attention, was when she said that she was an organ donor recipient.
She had needed an organ. There seemed little hope and her prospects for life were dimming. Her life was slipping away and she knew it.
Then an organ became available from a young Amish girl. Her life was saved as another was lost. The Amish girl's organ became her's and saved her life.
She had called the Amish family with the little girl to thank them. I can only imagine the conversation. She asked for a picture of the little girl who had saved her life.
She asked if I knew this family, the one that had the little girl. No, I didn't.
But Amish do not typically have pictures of themselves or family members as we "English" do. Amish see images of themselves as prideful. Some may see it as something prohibited by biblical teaching. This is an area of Amish life we could go into for many pages, but for now let's just leave it at that. Amish do not generally have pictures of themselves or others.
So, no, the Amish family told this young woman, we do not have a picture of our little girl to send you.
...but...
They knew where this young lady could get a picture of their little girl. There is a picture hanging on the wall in the restaurant at "The Blue Gate". The photographer is David Arment. Maybe if you find him (somehow) and get a copy from him (somehow) you can have a picture of the little girl who saved your life.
So she was calling me to ask for help. She wanted a picture of this little girl, and she thought, well, maybe, the Amish family would accept a picture also.
So I did what I could to help.
Pretty amazing that a picture that I wouldn't have taken, wouldn't have "pushed" (and didn't) ends up on a wall in a public place, was seen there by the parents of this little girl and ends up in the hands of a young lady whose life was saved by a girl in the picture.
God works sometimes in ways we don't understand. More often than not in ways we don't ever get to know about.
So now you know "The Rest of the Story", or do you?
The company that prints pictures and makes them into hanging plaques is Amish. I had shared this story with them by fax. Their business is/was able to receive emails because (at the time) they had software that turned emails into faxes. The Amish bishop would not allow email, but would allow faxes.
One day I was in this business and they had printed the fax and it was hanging on the bulletin board.
We started a conversation and I learned a new part of the story.
The owner said that when the picture came through to be printed and "plaqued" (ready to hang on the wall) for "The Blue Gate" they recognized the family immediately because they were friends of the family. He said that they printed a copy of the picture for them, but didn't know how to give it to them. They would be there for an evening gathering and that would be the time to give them the picture.
But... How would it be received? With great emotion? Overwhelming emotion? Or, maybe something else having to do with her printed image. They didn't know. So they simply left it on the bed in the bedroom and left.
It was well received and the couple was glad to have a picture of their sweet girl.
So now you know "The Rest of the Story", or do you?
Maybe there is even more to this story of which I am unaware?
I wonder about the lady who was the organ recipient. I wonder about the Amish family and I wish I knew, "The Rest of the Story".
My email is darment@pm.me if you have questions or if you have more information about this story.
Previously published an re-edited for this post. Revised Jan 8, 2024
©David L Arment