There are moments in this profession that remind me why I got in this line of work to begin with.

The goal of every journalist is to share the stories of people with our readers in the best way possible. On many occasions, the best way is with a story full of emotional quotes, but there are countless times where words fail to tell the whole story.

Sometimes, only a photo can tell the whole story.

Last week, I was given the opportunity to cover one such event.

Last Wednesday, members of the Robertsdale-based quilting group Stitch-N-Friends presented a Quilt of Valor and a patriotic pillowcase to World War II veteran Eileen Hinrichsen.

Since 2006, the group has crafted 300 such quilts and donated them to active military members, as well as veterans like Hinrichsen.

Wednesday’s presentation came as a complete surprise to Hinrichsen, who was led in to a small sitting room at Live Oak where Stitch-N-Friends members had gathered.

As she made her way to a chair positioned beside one of the center’s decorated Christmas trees, it was easy to see Hinrichren was aware something was up.

Moments after she sat down, Hinrichsen was told why everyone was there, and she was shown the pillowcase and quilt.

Instantly, the 89-year-old Hinrichsen, who had served as a nurse in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was overcome as she realized how much work had gone into the red, white and blue quilt pillowcase.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip quivered as she ran her hands over the detailed stitches of her new quilt.

There were few, if any, dry eyes in the room at that point.

There are things that help determine the overall quality of a photograph — light, composition, layers — but for a photo to be more, to be special, there needs to be emotion.

Emotional photos, like those I was honored to make during this presentation, can tell a story better than words every can.

I hope the photos I made last week can serve several purposes in the future.

I hope the photos captured the poignancy of the moment.

I hope they remind the quilters how much their work means to the veterans for whom they have made them.

But most importantly, I hope they serve as a call for all to thank our military veterans and those serving now.

Only Hinrichsen knows how much she gave up to serve as a Navy nurse during some of the world’s darkest days, so only she truly knows how much this gift means.

But I can say, as someone who was lucky enough to be in the room during the surprise presentation, it is clear this was a special occasion for everyone involved.

Jay Sowers is photo editor of Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at jay@gulfcoastmedia.com.