Like Sean just wrote in the previous post, today is Whitney's one-month birthday. How I would have loved to wake her up with a gentle kiss and "Happy Birthday, baby"! I thought today would be an appropriate day to post about the memorial service we had for her.
Whitney was born on Thursday, February 11 and by that Saturday, both Sean's parents and my parents and sister were able to be here with us. We had originally planned to do something at our church... you know, the typical funeral/memorial service with a song, a memorial video, some words and a prayer. We decided to do it Tuesday, because Sean's parents and both my parents would still be here. However, as the day got closer, I just kept feeling more and more anxious... uneasy. I didn't want the pressure of having a big memorial service, even though I really did want to share her with all of our friends here. After thinking about it a lot and praying about it A LOT, we decided to do something small with just our family. And in the end, I was so happy that we did. I felt complete and total peace on the Tuesday of her memorial service and was able to just really enjoy it.
Monday night before her memorial, I asked everyone to write a note to Whitney... a poem, a prayer, a note... something. Even some of my family who wasn't able to be there in person emailed us some notes. Tuesday morning, Mom and I went out to get some pink balloons... we had to go to three different stores to find latex balloons! Silly California rules.
We loaded up in our cars around 11:00 that morning and went to a nearby park that has several little lakes. We drove around and chose a spot that had some great trees and a nice place to lay our blanket out. There were crazy ducks and huge geese all around us! It was fun to watch them as they came in for a landing on the lake.
Sean and I began by reading a couple passages of scripture. I read Psalm 145 and he read Psalm 146. We then took turns reading our notes to Whitney. It was difficult to read them, but it was so nice to hear how much her Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles love her. We talked a little bit about just how beautiful and perfect she was, and all the precious things we got to experience because of her.
After that, it was time to release the balloons... we tied small notes on them (just short notes that said "I Love You" and things like that) and the released them. We thought we'd be smart and tie the notes on them while we were still at home... but when we got to the lake, they were all tangled! So we spent a good 15 minutes untangling the balloon strings before we could let them go! It was kinda funny. Watching the balloons climb higher and higher in the sky was a very uplifting experience... it was like we were releasing her to God. So here's some picture from that special day. Hope you enjoy them. I love that we have that place at the lake to go to whenever we miss her a lot. She would have loved sitting out in the sun on a nice spring day, and even feeding those annoying ducks when she got older. :-) After the park, we went to the Olive Garden for lunch. That's where we went when we found out we were havin a girl, and that's where we went several other times during our pregnancy. She was a fan of the Italian food, too. All in all, it was perfect. It was a perfect day, pressure free, and we just enjoyed remembering and honoring our precious daughter who held on for so long. I am so glad we did what felt right for us.
We miss our girl and love her so much. I take so much comfort in knowing that she is loved and cared for now in perfection, and that is all she will ever know. The hope of heaven has never been greater in my heart than it is today. Enjoy the pics! (You can click on them to make them bigger.)
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit..." 1 Peter 3:15, 17-18
We did the same with regards to the type of service you chose. We had a very small service outside at the memorial park where our daughter was buried. I love how you marked the day with activities that were meaningful to you and your family. Surely Whitney was a special gift to have been given to such loving, dedicated parents.
ReplyDeletei really really enjoy dad's face in the one picture hahah. i love you both
ReplyDeleteA beautiful service for a beautiful girl. Love you guys!
ReplyDeleteI love the balloon idea..there's something amazing about watching a balloon fly higher and higher into the blue sky. So happy to know you guys had this very special time with Whitney at the park and now it will always be a place where you can meet with her and feeling the warmth you felt you she was in your womb and in your arms. Thank you so much for sharing this post..I enjoyed reading it and loved seeing the smiles on your faces!
ReplyDeleteHugs from Florida, Susan
((hugs)) I love both of these posts (this and the last one Sean posted). I love how your love for Whitney is so deep and so strong. How even though you will continue living here on earth without her, she will never be completely gone. The lake is her place, and so is the Olive Garden. I love how you guys reminisce about what Whitney loved to do and eat. It is fabulous because you're right-- she was giving you signs even while she was in your womb of what her favorites were!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about a very special and very private time. It was beautiful and perfect! I love the photos of her sweet little hands. I am still in awe of this little baby girl who survived for so long against all odds! She was strong!
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