Yesterday while at church, a lady from my Sunday School class announced something very special. She said she was going to hosting a Tastefully Simple (or is Simply Tasteful) party or something like that. I know that she plans on selling the goodies to members at our church. Then she announced that all proceeds would be going towards costs to get Mari’s book edited. To say I was shocked doesn’t even quite describe it. I am ever so grateful she came up with this idea and others are willing to help me come up with the money for the book as Keith and I just do not have $8,000. It put a great big smile on our faces.
I know at this point I just need to come up with some other fund raising opportunities to help with the cost. I am asking for some help in this area. If you have any suggestions on fund raising ideas, please either click on the “Email Me” page above and send me a message with your ideas or simply reply to this post. This book has come to mean so much to me and knowing that it will get published so that others will be able to read our beautiful baby girls story and my grief journey through the struggle of losing her will mean so much. I know how other people’s story’s have truly touched my life because I have been able to have the privilege of reading their books.
I think the two that have impacted my life the most are Mary Beth Champman’s book Choosing to SEE and Angie Smith’s book “I Will Carry You.” Both of these women not only have in common with me that we have all lost a child (a daughter) but the three of us have lost our children within 3 months of each other. Mary Beth lost her beautiful Maria in May 2008 and Angie lost her beautiful Audrey in April 2008. As most of you know Mari passed on away on July 16, 2008. The three of us are part of a special society, a special club, that we all joined kicking and scream but have come to realize it is what it is.
I know that Mary Beth and Angie have both used their tragedy in a way that has truly inspired so many. My hope is that Mari’s story will do the same. I want people to look at Mari as one special angel. An angel that has taught so many people so many different things without her every know she was doing it. Just thinking about this puts a smile on my face to know what kind of child God blessed me with in this life. I mean, I talk about how she was able to teach so many people so much in her short life but I think I am one of the ones who learned the most that no matter what God gives us in our lives that he will always take care of us. I mean, Mari was hard to deal with most of the time but in those time she could just look at you with her smile and great, big blue eyes and she could just reel you in. She was and will always continue to be one special little angel. Thank you God for putting her into Keith’s and my life as we have forever been touched by her sincere innocence.
