I'm not a big fan of weeds. Weeds are full of ticks, snakes, and other creepy crawlies. Weeds grow uncontrollably. They overtake other plants. And when I walk among the weeds, I feel gross.
Which is why it has meant so much to me when people have walked in the weeds with us over the past sixteen years.
I took Luke's box out a few days before his birthday, but my emotions finally allowed me to look through it tonight. It's the box that contains many important things from his life: the stuffed animals he never got to snuggle, the blankets that no longer keep him warm, the booties that he never got to wear.
But Luke's box also contains some very cherished things. Things that helped us get through the terrible weeds in the days, weeks, and months after we lost him.
His box contains notes, mass cards, donation cards, and so much more.
Luke's box contains a copy of the homily that Father George shared at his funeral mass. This story still makes me tear up:
Luke's box contains notes, cards, mass intentions, and books. It contains the sleep 'n play he wore a few times and also the holy water that we kept from his baptism. It contains the program from his mass and the guest book from the funeral. It contains the most sacred words of love from friends and even strangers and the most precious pictures from children who were praying for our family.
Luke's box contains all of the cards from the hundreds of donations that were made in his memory. My mother and Nana took the time to collect all of the donation cards and tied them nicely together. There was so much kindness shown to our family and we are so thankful for the generosity that was shown in his memory.
I want to share these things with you because I want to show how many people were in the weeds with us sixteen years ago. How many people held us up while we trudged through the thick brush. Who walked with us as we faced the impossible. To those of you who took the journey with us sixteen years ago, I pray that you can look at these pictures and know that your love and support got us through the unimaginable. I hope that you can see how much even the smallest gesture meant to us. We saved these things for a reason: because they showed empathy, kindness, and love to a grieving family.
And there are people who are still in the weeds with us. The people who visit his sacred place, because we do not live near. The people who donate to NICU families through Luke's Legacy Boxes. The people who pray for our family. The people who remember him. The people who say his name.
Our family is blessed.
Today, sixteen years from the day we last heard his voice, we are so very thankful for the people who we are blessed to call friends and family. We are thankful for those who walk in the weeds with us.
Walk through the weeds. Don't fear what you may face in the weeds. Walk through them. Because even in the weeds, there is beauty.
And that beauty is love.
Happy angel day, precious Luke Thomas.
I am honored to walk through the weeds to celebrate the miracle of your life.
I had to share the picture above, because he is wearing the he sleep 'n play that is in his box.
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