7 Months, A Somber Elephant Walk & A "Warm Place"

2009 Bryce and I with the Ringling Brother's Elephants

In just a few days Bryce will have been in Heaven for 7 months. I can not believe it has been that long since we got to hug and love on our little monkey. This week is hard for us as we are coming up on Circus Week at the Convention Center. George works at the Fort Worth Convention Center and Ringling Brothers is coming into town. The past two years we have made some what of an event over this as it was something that Bryce really enjoyed. We took the boys out to the "Elephant Walk" where they have the elephants walk from the convention center down Main Street to Sundance Square where they get a snack while the clowns perform and then they head back to the convention center. Bryce loved seeing the elephants, it always made him smile. George is taking Wade this year, because it's what we do, I have to work but I can imagine that it will be bitter sweet. Wade will love it, I am sure of this because I am currently typing this with last years Ringling Brothers Sorcerer hat on my head... I am the Sorcerer this morning!!!

2010 Wade and Bryce in "The Sorcerer Hats"

Last night we finally got to to The Warm Place. The Warm Place is about a block away from Cook Children's and it is a place for everyone in the family to go talk, grieve, and bond... The story, if I remember correctly was that the founding family lost their son and their daughter felt she didn't have any place to go where she could talk about how that made her feel, she felt like her parents had friends they could bond with but she was alone, so they created a place where families could come together and be understood. When you arrive it's Potluck Dinner and then everyone is split up into groups, Moms, Dads and Kids.... and from there you have the opportunity to share your own stories, or just listen to others. It's a place of understanding, of knowing you can talk openly and the people you are talking to will understand completely. They do different sessions, based on the type of loss, whether it was a parent, a grandparent, sibling, etc... So we are in the sibling group so that Wade will be with other kids that have also lost a sibling... For my friends in the Fort Worth Area they are amazing! George and I really feel like it is going to be great for all of us to heal! You can never fully heal the hole created by the loss of a child, there will always be "little" things that will re-open the wound, like Wade starts Kindergarten in 3 weeks...we will never have that moment with Bryce... but as time goes by we know that we will find happiness in other things and we will always allow the moments of sadness to come as needed as we will always be Mom, Dad and Brother to an amazing little boy named Bryce!

"Butterfly... As you danced in the light with joy, love lifted you. As you brushed against this world so gently, you lifted us!