There are days in our lives that we dream about.
Birthday’s
Graduation’s
Wedding’s
Anniversary’s
The birth of a child
Memorial services
Family Gatherings
We all have them and prepare for them in our own way.
Today was one of those days for us.
I have struggled with emotions all week. Today has been special for 14 months. A day when our amazing family and friends come together to help us celebrate Toby.
We had people coming in from across the country to help us honor our son and celebrate what we have been able to do to keep his legacy alive.
We woke up this morning, after days of rain and cloudy skies, to the sunshine pouring in every window of our home. Luke said with such excitement “Can you believe this beautiful sunrise today?” as he ran down the hallway to head downstairs. I couldn’t even believe he said that. It was exactly what I was thinking.
There is something that has been on my heart that I need to say. We are not the largest non-profit, nor will we ever be. We do not count our success by the number of monitors we have purchased annually. And we never will.
We are here to support our fellow non-profits who, like us, have suffered the death of a child. How we do it is not our main focus. It is a part of it, certainly, but it is and never will be all of it.
The success of Toby’s Foundation is measured by the joy our family experienced, for the 12 weeks of his life, being shared with families who need it.
It is about being open and honest with our followers, supporters, and community, who in 2016 supported our family in a way that we could have never imagined.
It is about helping individuals and families who need help and support, through education, resources, mental support, and financial support.
Someone asked me once when I was talking about the Foundation, what it means to me to be powerful. It took me by surprise and it stuck with me for a while. Here’s my response:
We are ALL powerful in this world. We ALL have the ability to make an impact, no matter how long we are here. Toby is a true example of that. To be impactful doesn’t mean being measured by a number. It is measured how people’s lives are changed when they hear your story or see the work that you are doing from your heart.
We have the ability, every day, to change someone’s day and make them feel loved.
Toby’s story is shared because he was loved by so many and because his life mattered. His impact is felt, from Heaven, because his story is not done.
Today we will celebrate Toby and the success the Foundation has had in three years’ time. We could not be prouder of what we have been able to do with our grief and the death of our son.
We have successes, big and small, and are blessed by so many who share Toby, and celebrate him, every day.
We could not be more proud that we were chosen to be Toby’s parents. We pray that he sees that pride daily, from Heaven, and can feel our love and the love of his brothers, our family, friends.
“Where there is deep grief, there is great love.”
