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A portrait of grief: One woman’s mission to revolutionize the way we heal through loss

Contributed photo by Tessa Marie Studio / "I used to go into her room every day and say, 'Good morning, sweet girl,'" Ashley Jones says of daughter Skylar Marie, age 16 months in this picture. "For me, the photos are an opportunity to greet her, to say, 'Hey, sweet girl. You're here and I remember you.'" Contributed photo by Tessa Marie Studio / "I used to go into her room every day and say, 'Good morning, sweet girl,'" Ashley Jones says of daughter Skylar Marie, age 16 months in this picture. "For me, the photos are an opportunity to greet her, to say, 'Hey, sweet girl. You're here and I remember you.'"

By Sunny Montgomery February 1, 2021 3 min read

Grief is like a supernova, says Ashley Jones.

“Your world is collapsing. But as you begin to heal, there is an explosion of love and creativity.”

In 2015, on what should have been her daughter’s sixth birthday, Jones launched Love Not Lost, a nonprofit with the mission of revolutionizing the way people heal through loss.

Her idea was to partner with volunteer photographers to provide free portrait sessions to families facing terminal diagnoses, helping preserve memories while also creating a tangible space, in the form of a high-quality photo album, to process loss.

“The beauty of a photo,” says Jones, “is that it doesn’t change. But you do.”