A widow, who lost her husband in a plane crash, says body-image issues stopped her from posing in photos with her husband before he died.
Michelle Steinke-Baumgard posted a 2008 photo of herself and her baby son on Facebook – alongside a warning for others to get in the frame.
“One of my biggest regrets is that I wasn’t in many photos. My self-hate and loathing kept me from taking photos of my babies and photos with the man I loved,” she said.
Her husband, Mitchel, was killed in October 2009, a year after the photo was taken – the pair’s son was only a year old and their daughter was three-years-old.
“The day he died, all I cared about was the memories we made, the trips we took and the photos of our whole family,” she said on Facebook.
“I regret not being in the photos.”
The mother of two said worries over her weight had stopped her from taking more pictures.
“Perfection is a myth. Even after I lost 70 pounds and found my fitness, I realised I still was far from perfect.
“You can always work on improving yourself but this moment will never come again. Don’t waste it wishing you were more,” she added.
“You are enough, right now, right as you are. Take the photos. Love your life.”
The widow, who was formerly Michelle Steinke, has since remarried and now hyphenates her last name to Steinke-Baumgard.