Remembering Our Precious Children

I’m not sure anyone can comprehend the pain that one feels when a loved one leaves us, especially not when the one who would pass is a child. I find no relief in the definitions written in the many books I’ve read. As I’ve hugged those who have suffered loss, especially that of a child or grandchild, I do so knowing their journey will be long and painful, and unfortunately, one which will take time, will never fully heal and always leave a void.

Last evening, for the first time in the many years I have lived on the island, I attended the ceremony, which was held at the Marco Island Cemetery for families that have suffered such a painful loss, and it was a somber moment.

The Christmas Box Angel comes from a book by Richard Paul Evans, The Christmas Box. It is the story of a woman mourning the loss of her child. The Angel monument is 4’3” tall with a wingspan of 5’2” and has the word “Hope” inscribed on her right wing.

The original angel monument from the story once existed but somehow was destroyed. Grieving parents, however, continued to search for the angel from the story so that they, too, could have a special place to grieve and find healing. Richard Evans recognized the need to create a monument to replace the original angel monument.

The first angel monument was dedicated in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 6, 1994, the month and day the child died in the “Christmas Box Story.”

Since then, the angel has become world-renowned, with over 135 additional angel monuments having been erected across the nation, allowing families to remember and heal in dealing with their loss. Marco Island was fortunate to have its angel brought to the island after considerable effort, and it was placed in the Marco Island Cemetery and dedicated on December 6, 2000.

Since that time, families on Marco have been able to have engraved bricks placed at her base in memory of children who have passed from this life, and on December 6th of each year, a ceremony is held at the monument to remember those children lost. Approximately 70 people were in attendance during the ceremony.

As part of that nationwide ceremony, the names of those lost are read as they were during the Marco Island ceremony. After the ceremony, family members and friends were able to lay a flower at the base of the monument in honor of their departed but not forgotten loved child.