This past year has been interesting. Things that I never thought would be hard have been hard...and sometimes the hard stuff is surprisingly easy...
One year ago today our sweet Ande Marie was born.
I can't believe it's been a whole year.
Our nephew Reese was born about 2 weeks after Ande was. It's interesting to see him and think of "what could have been" if Ande had been full term. I see a baby at church who was born around Ande's due date and have the same thoughts about her.
I have a wonderful "internet friend" who, because of her daughter's short life, started a website for parents dealing with infant loss (http://www.angelbabiesinfo.com) and does a big service project each year to celebrate her baby's birthday.
When I heard about this idea, I really liked it, but didn't know what we could do. Matt and I talked about it, and this year we decided to have a Family Temple Day in celebration of Ande's birthday.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be together forever. Temples are a rare place on earth where families can be together in a place of complete beauty and peace. The quiet services held there help bind families together in ties of love, worship and remembrance. (For more information about LDS Temples, please click here.)
On Friday, October 16th (a year after Ande's services) we'll be spending that day in the St. Louis Temple with any of our family members who can be there. Matt and I have done some family history research and will be helping to unite our family members for eternity.
We invite any and all who want to join us in various temples around the world to go and spend some time making it possible to unite other families for eternity on this special day. Or, use this day to find out more about the temple, and why it is so important to us. Lds.org is a fantastic resource. Another website Matt likes to use for looking at various LDS Temples around the world and to find out different fun facts about them is ldschurchtemples.com.
Matt and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity. We love and miss our little girl, but we are firm in our knowledge that she is ours forever...and we are so thankful for that.
Happy birthday, Ande.
December 25, 2017
6 years ago
9 comments:
Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate! Enjoy your time in the Temple!
You are awesome, my dear. What a great idea. I love you tons!
Wow, has it really been a year? I think you've found a perfect way to remember your daughter.
What a wonderful idea, the temple day. I am glad you will be surrounding yourself with your family and God in honor of Ande.
Happy Birthday Ande....and Happy Ande's Birthday Jeanne! What a wonderful mom you are!
What an amazing idea. If Curtis and I weren't moving that day we would totally be in the mesa temple in support of your amazing little girl. I am so grateful for eternal families and what a great way to show our gratitude to our Heavenly Father and Jesus. You are a great strength and I am so glad to hear about how you and your family are doing.
Great idea Jeanne. I love it. My family is in the process of losing a little family member right now and I know the temple is the place where I feel the most comfort.
I love her birthday gift :). Each year, it has been quite a process for me to figure out what fits. We've done some small ones and some big ones. Not quite sure yet what to do next, but I'm sure that inspiration will come soon. Happy angel day, Ande!
What a great idea. I hope your day was special. This was a beautiful post, also, for those who may not know about our beliefs. You are a great example to me.
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