Angel of Hope

For Ellie's 1st Birthday, Dave's co-worker and his wife purchased a brick at a local arboretum in her memory. The brick lays amongst others at the base of a statue called the Angel of Hope. It's been a long time since I've read the book, but the Angels originated from a book called "The Christmas Box." The statues are a place for parents and families to go and remember their lost children. Today, all the new bricks were dedicated during a short ceremony. Her brick was put in several weeks ago, but it's a good 40 min drive away so we hadn't been until today.
There were many other families there and to my great irritation, several little girls- 9- 18 months, complete with hair bows and dresses. Many of the other mother's were crying and obviously upset. But I only teared up once. It's weird, but I didn't really feel like we belonged there. Yes, my daughter is dead. And yes, that is her name on the stone. But I didn't feel a part of that group today. Denial? Certainly...
Denial or not, it was nice to have Ellie memorialized in such a permanent way. The brick was such a thoughtful and caring gift.

 As each child's name was called, their family placed a white carnation at on their brick. Ellie's says, "Little Peanut. Forever Loved."