Honoring Emma

I haven't posted in a bit.  I've been a little bitter lately, and I can't put a pin in why.  I went to see a therapist a little over a week ago, and I think it stirred a lot up.  It was good, and I think I'll go again, but it's left me a little raw.

I decided to dig myself out of my sad dark hole today and think of some good things.  It's been important to Jeff and I to honor Emma.  We've been talking about it since we left the hospital.  So far we have donated all of the diapers we received to the Sojourner Truth House here in Milwaukee.  We have had many donations made in Emma's name to Make-a-Wish.  We chose Make-a-Wish for a couple of reasons.  My amazing sister Allison works there, and I know what a great organization they are.  It was important to me to know that the donations being made in her name were going to a good cause, and would make an actionable difference.

We've also been doing small things to just make sure we remember her.  This summer we went up north to visit my sister-in-law, and we released a Chinese lantern in her honor.  It was really beautiful.  We also made a small memorial in our front yard.  My nieces made a beautiful stepping stone with her named carved into it, and a friend of Jeff's gave us a small angel statue and a wind chime that says, "If love alone could have spared you, you would have lived forever."

When we were in Florida last month, we went for a walk on the beach.  It is one of my favorite places, and I know Jeff and I were both looking forward to bringing Emma there.  I was excited to teach her to swim, and play by the pool with her, and Jeff was looking forward to walking on the beach with her and taking her fishing. 

Having her name in the sand made me feel like she was there with us.  I know that whenever I walk on that beach, I will feel like she's with me.  

I'm looking for other ideas to memorialize her, and I am hoping to do more good things in her name.  I want to make sure that she's not forgotten, and that her impact on the world is a large one.

I had to update this post because some of my amazing friends honored our sweet girl in a beautiful way.  They had a star named after her.  Knowing that my baby girl is watching over us warms my heart and makes me smile.  It's just fantastic to know that other people love our little girl as much as we do.