Monday, July 20, 2015

In Memory Never Goes Out of Style



When Daniel died, I wanted everyone to know that he had lived.  I didn't want his short life on earth of less than four and a half years to be forgotten.  Not only did I write about him for grief publications, but I spent time at craft shops.  At the shops, I looked for creative ways to memorialize him.  I bought a small wood basket and painted it with gold and the words:  Our Memories Fill the Sky. I invested in Creative Memories (I have yet to complete my memory album even after 18 years since his death).  Crafting or writing, it was all part of my grief therapy.  The writing was much better than the projects I tried to paint and and glue.  Even so, both helped do their grief work for me.  I was comforted, even if only for a short while in my early sorrow. Now I promote both writing and crafting for every griever.

My husband and I have many memorial items we have perfected over the years (he is the mastermind; my crafting skills are still limited). We use wood to carve them.  Wood makes such wonderful keepsakes. The personalized butterfly magnets are one of our products in our memorial line at our Carved By Heart Etsy shop. A lot of our carvings have butterflies on them because they're the symbol of new life and hope.

We are blessed by the responses from those who have been comforted by a garden plaque, a candle, or a wind chime with a child's name. I love that Daniel has inspired tangible comfort through our remembrance creations.

In memory.  Because every life needs to be remembered. And In Memory never goes out of style.