| As I write this I am overwhelmed by emotion. I never know who reads this website. I never really know who Isabella may reach out & touch. I received the most beautiful & thoughtful gift tonight. I have never, ever in my entire life received anything that meant so much to me as this gift. First a little background. I signed up for a gift exchange on an online message board that I participate on. We were all assigned names of our "secret pal" & we were to pick a gift & mail it out. We were all going to open our presents "together" online during a designated chat time. Well, my secret pal contacted me early. It turns out she lives close to me (out of women who live all over the country!) & she wanted to hand deliver my gift. She also wanted to bring it by before our designated "opening time". I was excited at the prospect of getting to meet her in person & of course getting an early present! Although I could not figure out why I needed to have it early. She came over with her family & our kids played together & we had such a nice visit. Then she gave me my gift. When she took it out of the bag & I got a glimpse of it..my heart stopped! I knew right away what it was & what it meant, before I really even "saw" it..it’s almost as if I could "feel" it. I held the most beautiful painting I have ever seen. A baby in utero, my baby, my Isabella..surrounded by light which represents her being an angel. A butterfly & dragonfly in the background which are symbolic to me...A purple flower that is exactly like the one I have in Isabella’s garden. The colors all flowing together so beautifully. I cannot explain the emotion I felt..overhwelming..I truly FELT Isabella’s presence in that painting! The footprints on the painting are Isabella’s actual footprints, the woman who painted this printed them from my website & decopauged them onto the canvas. I am in tears as I write this, as I try to put into words how I feel. Both of these women, gave me something so wonderful I do not think they will ever ever know! Julia, for thinking of Isabella in the first place, in a world that I feel chooses to forget.And for trying to find "just the right gift" for me.The message board that we met on is not a "loss" board, so the fact that she chose to remember Isabella means even more to me! And for finding Audrey to paint such beauty. And Audrey for painting this wonderful piece & being able to take all my emotions & feelings & love for Isabella & put it on canvas. What is truly meaningful, is that she painted this painting from start to finish on Isabella’s 2nd birthday. So on December 3rd, as I sat here, alone since my husband could not take the day off work, as I felt I was the only one missing her, somewhere across the country this woman was painting this for me, reading my website, feeling my pain, capturing the essence of Isabella. She said she felt like there was an angel with her that day. I believe it. I can feel it in this painting. I have only had this painting for a few hours now..and I truly feel I have been given back a piece of me that was gone..a piece of my broken heart, a piece of my soul…something. Isabella’s spirit is in this painting. She is home. And today I feel some peace. Today, I feel a calmness I have not felt in two years. Today, I finally feel I will be ok. I have heard other moms who have lost their babies get signs from them..I always looked but never got one..today I did,..I feel like Isabella is telling me everything will be ok, that everything IS ok now, if that makes any sense. She spoke to me through this painting. Today I was given so much..there are no words to truly express my feelings. |
| Isabella's Memory |
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| Thank you Julia and Audrey from the bottom of my heart and the depth of my soul, I have never been so touched by anything as I have been today. No one has ever done anything for me like this before. I wish there were words, but there are none, only tears..tears of deep gratitude. |
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