Keepsakes

After reading Cassie’s comment on Things People Say , I thought it might be nice if we shared some of the things we have done to treasure the keepsakes, photos and memories of our little ones.  I wrote briefly about how we have done this in the post Letting Go?

We have a pencil drawing of Grace on our wall that daddy did after her funeral.  It is a little easier to publicly display than photographs since we never got to see our daughter alive.

Most people can’t handle the pictures we have, so they are tucked away along with blankets, bears, footprints, clothes, countless cards and other mementos in a very special box.  To most it is just a decorative piece in our house, but to me it holds some of my most treasured and heartbreaking earthly possessions.  I don’t open it often, but it will always be a part of our home and my other children know that it is to be respected and untouched.  I would recommend purchasing a special box like this for anyone who has lost a child.  There are so many things that you just aren’t sure what to do with.  You know you want to keep them, but you can’t emotionally handle seeing them everyday.   You need a special place just for them.

Because we don’t know if we’ll always live where we do now, we chose to place Grace’s remains in an urn that will always be near us even if we move far away in the future.  Most of the year it holds dried “Baby’s Breath” flowers, but I like to put fresh flowers in it on her birthday each year.

There are other items displayed as well – like the Willow Tree figure that was part of the funeral arrangement on her tiny casket or the “Grace” alphabet art that includes the verse I use for the basis of this blog (2 Corinthians 12:9).

How do you remember your child?  What have you done with whatever keepsakes you have?  For some, I know that entire nursery’s were prepared and sat empty.  You may have had a baby shower and been flooded with gifts that you no longer know what to do with.  Please share your ideas as we help each other and those who will find themselves needing these answers in the future.