Saturday (October 15th) was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day - one of my favorite days on the calendar. The Lord scripted a beautiful day for me. It was one of those perfect weather kinda days spent with friends and family that you look back on and smile. :)
And Sunday, I shared my story at a local church (I will post about that soon).
To start off the day on Saturday, my brothers, sister-in-law, her friend, my niece, and I went to the North Carolina State Fair, which is only about 20 minutes from where I live. We had fun walking around and looking at what the Fair has to offer, such as the cute animals. I went by the North Carolina Right to Life booth, which I make a point to do each year, and got a new car magnet. We enjoyed riding the new ski-lift ride that takes you across the Fair grounds and is better than the Ferris Wheel because it lasts longer and takes you further (I'm too old for all the crazy upside down rides haha). I ran into several people I know, including some Bible study ladies and one of my best friends from middle school that I hadn't seen in probably 12 years.
You know how they deep fry everything at the Fair? I even saw they deep fry jello now - yuck! Well, this year I saw that they deep fry red-velvet Oreos, and since it was PAIL Awareness Day, I had to have some for my sweet Lily. If you've read my blog for a while, you know that red-velvet is a Lily thing, started at my Valentine's-themed baby shower. Let's be honest, the main reason I like going to the Fair is for all the food! And we all know calories don't count at the Fair. ;)
I joked and said my dreams came true when I met a giant kitty! hehe
I had on my blue and pink, along with a PAIL Awareness pin, a PAIL Awareness bracelet, my Origami Owl necklace for Lily that has a PAIL Awareness charm, and my nails had PAIL Awareness ribbons on them. It made me smile when a couple people noticed my special apparel for the day. :)
Pink and blue cotton candy - the PAIL Awareness ribbon colors!
After spending several hours at the Fair, I went home and got ready to go with my mom to a special candle light service at WakeMed Hospital. I was thankful they made the effort to do something to mark the day this year, and are planning on making it an annual event.
The sky was a breathtaking blue and pink, which of course reminded me of the PAIL Awareness ribbon colors.
Quite a few families gathered in the courtyard there to honor and remember our babies together. I saw some sweet friends I hadn't seen in years. A couple other friends came to support me and remember Lily, which means more than I can say.
I came home from the service and wanted to have another candle burning at home on that sacred night. I got out my red-velvet candle that is only lit on special occasions. Here it is with the Forget-Me-Not Willow Tree that was given to me by the staff at the hospital where Lily was born.
My social media pages were filled with Wave of Light photos, and the names and photos of precious babies who are so very missed. It brought me to tears because it is so sad and beautiful all at once. These babies are the children of my friends and I love them. They each hold a special place in my heart and I look forward with eager expectation to meeting and holding them in Heaven. What great joy awaits us there.
I want to share some of the names of the precious babies who were on my heart: my daughter Lily Katherine, my Aunt Rachel Ross, Ryleigh Grace, Lillian Judith Joy, Jensen Grey, Nathan, Azalea, Rachel Alice, Hope, Sullivan, Kayden, Riley, Noah, Bo, Cassie, Navaeh, Lucas, Solomon, Riley Grace, Ava Nicole, Tara, Brooklynn, Nicholas, Addison, Kathlyn Joy, Daisy, Amiyah, MaKenna, Liliana, Caitlyn, Marcellus, Shelby, Lillyan, Stella, Mateo, Aidan, Colby, Elias, Eva, Noah Joel, Shyla, Jakin, Aiden, Jensen, Hailey, Madison, Lincoln, Bailey, Rosie, Shae, Leo, Lola, Autumn, Faith, Grace, Thomas, Carleigh, Sparrow, Avery, and many, many others.
I was deeply touched by the messages I received from some friends, and the photos that were sent of candles lit for Lily and prayers sent up. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day memorable. Here are a couple of the photos sent to me...
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| From Emily |
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| From Kala |
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