Today is my birthday.
And while possibly millions of people share this day with me, I want to tell you about a very special baby girl, Sarah, that will forever be in my heart on this day, December 10.
Sarah is the baby girl of my dear friend, Anna. (I've written about Anna in previous posts. She is an amazing lifestyle photographer in Chicago.)
Sarah both came into and left this world two years ago on December 10th. She was lost due to severe birth defects. It was a day we will never forget.
As you can imagine, Anna, her husband and her family endured the wake of this huge loss. Like anyone with the loss of a loved one (and especially a child), Anna and her family think of Sarah every single day. And on her birthday, we celebrate her and the love she created amongst all of us.
This year, Anna and her family are honoring Sarah by taking donations of books and pajamas to be donated to the Pajama Program. The Pajama Program provides warm pajamas and bedtime books for children who are waiting to be adopted. Many of them have been abused or abandoned and have never enjoyed the comfort of a parent tucking them into bed and reading to them.
Anna and her family have sent out the card (above) to their friends and I'm passing it along to you. (Please click the image to make it larger.) In the words of Anna....
"We really wanted to do something this year (and in the years to come) to celebrate the life and love Sarah filtered through all of us. If just the simple fact that our daughter brought love and light into our family can create a lasting legacy of passing on that same love and light to children all around us, well, it would just be such a mark of her existence. And that's really what we're striving for! Don't we all wish we could have such a legacy? I really feel this was Sarah's."
With this being the season of giving, I'm passing this message along in the hopes that you'll donate a pair of pajamas or books to your local Pajama Program in honor of Sarah on her and MY birthday. It's a small gesture with large impact.
And it is my honor to share a birthday with her.
I wrote a post featuring the Pajama Program in November. They are a worthy organization and the cold season is a great time to gift PJs to kids who lack loving homes. Your friend's strength is inspiring.
Posted by: Coniqua | December 28, 2009 at 04:35 AM