For Grace's 5th birthday, we wanted to do something special to celebrate. I saw an idea for Random Acts of Kindness Cards on this blog. We wanted a way to keep our daughter's memory alive, and an opportunity for her life to touch and bless the lives of others.
We already helped start the Teeny Tears charity with the help of our friend Arah
who lost her daughter Olivia to the same thing as Grace. (When we were
making preparations for Grace's birth I made a tiny cloth diaper for
her to wear, because every baby deserves a diaper. I shared my idea
with Arah who tweaked my pattern to work better for more babies. Then a
friend of Arah's shared the idea with her sister Megan who began the
actual charity of Teeny Tears)
But we wanted to do something more, something everyone could be
excited to participate in, something that was easy, and something even
our young children could do to remember their sister. When I saw the
idea for the cards, I knew it was perfect.
So for Grace's birthday this year we are unveiling her service cards and
passing them out to anyone who would like to participate.
If you have received one of Grace's card after a service was done, please share your experience in the comments below, we would love to hear!
If you
have passed along one of Grace's cards in an act of service, feel free
to share your experience as well! We really would love to hear how our
daughter is touching others lives.
Thank you so much for helping keep Grace's memory alive!
This morning I received one of Grace's cards... I had a late night of baseball at my youngest son's baseball games last night and really needed a coffee this morning. When I got to the window, my coffee had been paid for - although I have done this before this was the first time ever - and along with my coffee, I received your card - thank you! Now to tell you my story, how crazy this is for me, and why it has touched me... in 2000 I found out that I was pregnant with my third child, one that wasn't planned because we had chosen not to have anymore. I already have two wonderful boys, one from my previous marriage and one from my current so this was a decision we made together, until I found I was pregnant again. I was scared but excited... until that Easter weekend. I was supposed to travel for work on Easter Sunday but had some unusual stuff going on so I called my doctor. They ended up checking me that day and found I was leaking amniotic fluid. My doctor told me that I was not going anywhere except for the hospital where I would be bed ridden until I delivered my daughter, Ariana Elizabeth, on Wednesday, April 26, when I was exactly 24 weeks... she lived for 40 minutes. We had the time beforehand to discuss the logistics with all sorts of doctors and make all sorts of decisions regarding her delivery when it happened. In the end, I've never known exactly what happened. She had some type of infection that she couldn't overcome that in turn helped leak out all of the fluid protecting her. I delivered her by emergency C-section since I didn't realize that I was having contractions... it was crazy and heartbreaking. It has been 14 years and although every day is hard, this year her birthday was particularly hard on me. I have tried to be there for others in this same situation and have shared my story at times, but I have never known how else to help or be there. What you are doing here is a wonderful thing. Grace's card definitely blessed me this morning and also brought tears to my eyes. I miss my Ariana every day... thank you again for the coffee and card; I will be passing it along someday :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I don't know if words can properly express my feelings right now. Your story brought tears to our eyes knowing that our daughter could bless your life. I believe Grace made sure one of her cards made it into your hands <3 Thank you for sharing your story of your Ariana, it has really touched us <3
Delete-Jillyn
This morning I went about my daily business and decided to stop for coffee as well. The person in front of me had already paid for mine, and left the card at the window. The cashier gave me the card, I set it in my center console, paid for the person behind me and went about my morning.
ReplyDeleteWhile getting out of the car once we arrived home, my pup decided to jump through the middle of the two front seats and exit the car that way rather than waiting for me to pull the front seat forward like I usually do for her. In the midst of this, she must have either knocked the card out or caused a gust of wind that did- whatever the case the card fell to my feet. I picked it up and put it in my pocket and went inside.
Today in particular, I noticed that I had been paying extra attention to the urn sitting on my dresser that contains my daughter Harper's ashes. While sitting on my bed, looking at the urn, I noticed something kind of uncomfortable in my back pocket- Grace's card. I pulled it out and read it and immediately felt my heart swell- It was such an overwhelming feeling. I have thought about Grace, and Harper all day since.
I too, am a mother to an angel baby. Harper Addison was born during the early morning of March 22, 2010 - just six days after my 21st birthday. Our story is very similar- near 20 weeks pregnant I started having some bleeding. I spent many days at the hospital, being monitored and 2 weeks on bedrest, wishing, hoping, praying, that it would stop and things would mend themselves. On the early morning of my birthday, I was sent to a specialist and that was the day they told me Harper would not make it. Like you, I had lost all my fluid. Her lungs could not develop- she may be born club footed, with under developed muscles that would hurt and harm her. It was- it still has been, the worst day of my entire life.
After too many sleepless nights, uncountable tears, back and forth, back and forth, I finally made the decision to be induced. We got to the hospital late that night of the 21st where they put me on pitocin. Due to the circumstances and how completely unstable I was emotionally and mentally, I took the epidural at the first sign of contractions and fell asleep shortly after.
My mother woke me up around 6am and told me she noticed that my contactions had stopped hours prior, and the nurse hadn't been in. She went and got the doctor who came in and checked me out. She made a kind of sour face and told me that Harper had arrived. There was no guess how long ago she had come, or how long she had waited. But there she was, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life.
To this day, that is the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. There are not many days that go by where I don't think about her. I miss her, I love her, I hope that some day I get to meet her.
Thank you, Jillyn. I really needed Grace's card.
Elizabeth, Sorry I did not reply back sooner. Life started getting a little crazy in June as I entered my 3rd trimester.
DeleteBut I wanted you to know that your story and your Harper touched my heart. I know that Grace's cards are going where they are meant to. I'm so thankful that she found a way to touch your life. Thank you for sharing. Jillyn