Asking for your help.

Hi all, Hope everyone is doing well.

I posted a blog entry the other day about Arianna's birthday, and then deleted it....after some anxiety about sharing it, as I'm usually more reserved in the sharing department.
Some have asked to see the post, so I'm going to post again. For those that have seen it already, sorry for the double posting. And sorry to those who got the link after I deleted it, and then seen my last post again.

It's February.

February always feels like a balance act, with so many seemingly conflicting emotions. Happiness and sadness. Celebrations and longing. More love and grief than I ever thought possible. This month, Arianna would be turning 7. And Zion will be turning 6. A very bittersweet month, for sure. We usually "celebrate" Arianna's birthday a few days early, so we can try and mainly focus on Zion on the actual day. We usually go to one of our favorite spots....Tahoe, the ocean....somewhere that brings our family comfort. We release balloons, have some cupcakes, share her memories. We've always done it privately, and have never asked anyone to help us celebrate her life. This year, we want to try something different, and want you to help us.

As parents living without our child, it is necessary, and healing for us to talk about Arianna, to share her story to hear and see of her being remembered. To make sure the world doesn't forget her completely, and to know that her life mattered and still does matter. Her name is mentioned several times a day in our home....but we don't talk very openly about her often outside of our house. So, we just want to shake up our routine some this year.

We seen a post on pinterest that was aimed for parents who have lost a child. It was about different ways of celebrating the birthdays after a child has passed away. One that stood out to us was having people write their child's name in different formats. (out of chalk on the sidewalk, rocks on the beach, out of food, etc). We decided to change it up a bit, and since we have friends and family all across the globe, we thought it would be amazing to see her name in all different places....somewhere that makes you happy in your home town, or somewhere you visit...even if it's in our own town. (For example, the ocean in Hawaii, Disney World in Florida, in front of some kangaroos in Australia, or moose in Alaska, the strip in Las Vegas....you get the idea?) And it can be as simple as writing her name on a piece of paper and holding it up, and sending the pictures by email, text or mail. We will then turn them into a picture book to cherish.

You can send pics to:
Email: NVDoula@aol.com
Text: 775-443-0917
Address: 981 Tillman Lane, Gardnerville, NV 89460

One example, thanks to my friend Monique. Ari's name at Lake Tahoe.