Shadow Box

We have a shadow box in our home with some of our favorite items: hand and foot prints in clay, Willow figures, Precious Moments figures with her initials, a sock that says "I Love Daddy," a Bible, sprigs of her "Izzy Hawk" mohawk, an angel ornament, and a little hat that she wore on a day we spent together at a craft fair.

Shadow boxes are inexpensive to purchase at Michael's and JoAnn Fabrics (especially if you have the 40% off coupon!)

Charming: Close to my heart

I am absolutely IN LOVE with my new photo charm. I have an important event coming up next weekend - the Mrs. Minnesota International Pageant - and I wanted to find a way to keep Isabelle close to my heart since she is the inspiration for this venture and at the center of my platform.

A dear friend suggested a photo charm to hang from a necklace and I knew in my heart that this small token would give me the huge emotional boost I needed.
I went on a hunt that night. I found this Brighton charm and I knew it was *perfect*!

I already had the silver necklace - a gift from my mother - and the charm slid right on. It's a solid charm with a small piece of plastic over the photo space, and comes with a super tiny screw driver to undo the screws in the back. On the back, in the center, there's a small heart that sealed the deal for me!

The photo size is approximately 1/2-inch square. I decided on my favorite picture of Isabelle, resized it to 1/2-inch and printed it on my home printer.

*My Favorite* Pebble Photo Charm ($24)

Here are a few others that I considered.
Maybe you'll find one that's perfect for you!
Things Remembered Baby Block Photo Frame ($20)
Memento Heart Photo Necklace ($52)
Memento Circle Photo Frame ($30)
Memento Square Charm ($30)

* Also, doing a search on Etsy.com turns up some incredible one-of-a-kind pieces made by talented artists.

Lighting up her memory

There are so many ways to honor your child's memory, and an idea I'm especially excited about - coming up on what would be Isabelle's 6th birthday - are sky lanterns!

My sister-in-law introduced me to these incredible luminaries that are basically a hot-air balloon made out of paper. I can't wait to release them into the night sky in my daughter's memory ... I'll be sure to take pictures!

And here is the post for our Sky Lantern release!

Here are some sites for sky lanterns:
Amazon (12 pack - $23.99)
Sky Lanters (various sizes, colors)
The Sky Lantern (various sizes, colors)
Wish Lantern (various sizes, colors)




View the book trailer for Amy Lyon's book, "Only God Knows Why: A Mother's Memoir of Death and Rebirth"

Plaques of remembrance

This Christmas, my father-in-law gave us this plaque in remembrance of our daughter, Isabelle. We have a memorial garden that the plaque will go in once spring arrives.

What's particularly special about this plaque is that my memoir, "Only God Knows Why," was released in September. Some might call that a coincidence, but I am convinced that these reminders of our loved ones are given purely as gifts!

Christian stores like Lifeway, Family Christian and Cokesbury always have a variety of plaques. My father-in-law found the plaque - which measures about 3 feet by 2 feet - at a flower shop.

Here are a couple of other smaller plaques I have inside the house. This spring I'll share photos of the fantastic new items I have in the garden!
 

 

Memory book

One of the first things I did after Isabelle passed away was to gather up every single picture that was taken of her during our four months together, then I used an online scrapbooking site to put together a photo book featuring pictures, milestones and favorite quotes.

I struggled with cutting any of the pictures I had of her, which is why I chose to create the memory book online. Even though we had digital copies of each and every photo stored on our computers, on a separate hard drive and burned onto CDs, I couldn't bring myself to cut the ones I could hold in my hands.

Also, some days it was too hard for me to work on the scrapbook, and all I had to do was turn off my monitor and it would be put away until I was ready. I also worried that having paper, scissors, glue and other scrapbooking supplies on the kitchen table would make the project stressful for me.

Now, my 4-year-old son, Wyatt, loves to snuggle up with me on the couch and go through the pages that tell the story of the sister he never met.

FAVORITE SITES
www.walgreens.com - Nothing fancy here, but I'm a fan of the variety of sizes of books that they have available on their site because the templates are easy to use and the end result is a quality piece, but inexpensive.
www.mixbook.com
www.shutterfly.com

Nourishing my wounded spirit

I have found that doing something for others is incredibly healing, especially if I'm doing it in my daughter's memory.

A few years ago, family and friends gathered with me to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children - an event we created during the holidays in Isabelle's memory. We packed meals for two hours and learned about individuals who have a whole lot less than we do.

Since then I've volunteered as an elf at a children's home, organized collections of coats, toys and electronics, and routinely serve meals at a homeless shelter. I do this because volunteering nourishes my wounded spirit. Even when I'm grieving I have something to give, and that very well could be exactly what someone else needs.

If you've never volunteered and aren't sure of a good place to start, check out the options available when you enter your zip code at Volunteer Match.

Light a candle ...

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Oct. 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Light your candle at 7 p.m. in memory of all angels who went home too soon ...

My beautiful sister made these candles for my book launch party. They're easy to make - all you need is a mason jar, paper (we used book pages), paper punch, raffia or ribbon, and a candle. The paper goes inside the jar.

Butterflies remind me of Isabelle, so we used a butterfly cut out for the shape. I wanted to leave the candle on without worrying about it getting knocked over and starting a fire, so we used a battery-powered tea light.

Here are a couple of other candle-lighting events in 2012:

• December 6 - 7 p.m.: Angel of Hope candle lighting
• December 9 - 7 p.m.: Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle lighting (2nd Sunday in December)

Related post: Candle angel wings

Rock-solid remembrance

I'm not much of an artist with a paintbrush, but when other parents at Faith's Lodge were painting rocks in memory of their babies who had died, I was quick to join in.

It was nice to spend some quiet time reflecting on Isabelle and her short time with us. It was also nice to create something solid, tangible in her memory.

We used colorful acrylic paints - some parents wrote names, some drew pictures and another included a logo from the family's favorite sports team. I let the paint on Izzy's rock dry for several hours (some used a hair dryer to quickly dry their paint) then sprayed several coats of a shellack on the rock to protect the paint.

I planned to place Izzy's rock with several other rocks outside at Faith's Lodge; some parents took their rocks home where they would prominently display them. 
I carefully selected the perfect spot for Izzy's rock along one of the Faith's Lodge paths, and in the sea of colorful rocks I found comfort knowing we are never alone in this journey.

Words left unsaid ...

Are there things you wish you'd told your loved one or stories you'd like to share about your life since he or she has been gone? Write a letter to Heaven's Mailbox.

If you've lost a baby, you can use this link to share on the Baby Angels Foundation website; otherwise, feel free to post your letter in the comments section at the end of this post.

Walking to remember

There are hundreds of walks, runs and memorial ceremonies across the country each summer to help us keep our loved ones' memories alive. Last weekend, my family and friends attended the 3rd annual Baby Angels Foundation walk/run. The money raised supports families after the loss of a baby and resrouces provided by the Minnesota SID Center.
By Googling "Memorial Walk," "SIDS Walk" or other terms relative to your loss, you'll find pages of events.
Additionally, Compassionate Friends has a Walk to Remember - July 22, 2012, and remembrance ceremonies are frequently held at the more than 100 Angel of Hope statues throughout the country. Visit the web site to learn about activities at a statue near you.

The Baby Angels Foundation was started by two mothers who lost their babies to SIDS. Could you organize a walk or event in your loved one's memory?