Background & Inspiration:

Losing your child can bring you to your knees. It has to be the most heart-breaking loss one can experience. You never really stop grieving. Not only have you lost your child, but you’ve lost all the hopes and dreams you envisioned for her. You can no longer go about your daily life without constant reminders of how life could be so much different and you can’t help but to think of all the important milestones you’re missing.

After Gaby’s memorial service was over and the last guests left our home, I broke down. The pain of this reality was finally setting in. Meals were generously delivered for a couple weeks after Gaby passed, along with the sympathy cards and flower arrangements. But once the flowers wilted and all that was left in the mailbox were grocery ads and bills, the pain and tears of our new normal remained. It was amazing to have such a wonderful support system, but one by one those people went back to their own lives too. It felt at times like we were the only ones who thought about and missed Gaby because we were the ones left with empty, aching arms. It didn’t take long to notice that the people we thought would continue to check in on us, were nowhere to be found. Perhaps they stayed away out of fear of saying the wrong thing, but really saying nothing at all stung like an open wound.

However, it was always a sweet surprise when a friend would text just to see how we were doing. I was relieved to know that maybe Gaby wasn’t forgotten after all. But what really made this mama’s heart smile was when I saw my name and address beautifully written on the outside of an envelope when I went to check the mail one day. Handwriting that I knew belonged to my dear friend, Suzanne. As I eagerly read the words she had written inside the card, tears fell from my eyes. Such simple, yet loving words confirmed that my baby girl and I were not forgotten. Well, these cards continued to come and continued to bring a smile to my broken heart.  This is where the inspiration for this project began.