Creating a Remembrance Table - Part III

By Dave and MaryJo Carlson, Samuel's Grandparents

This is part III of III. Read I - Read II

Our Sweet Samuel, Each day we have loved seeing all your things on your remembrance table.  We have had many people come and look at it.  The ones that are the most curious are children that visit our home.  They like to touch your picture and ask all about you.  They think you are beautiful and we agree.  They like to ask all about heaven.  We wish you could answer the questions we imagine together.  Today our 3 little neighbor children were here.  We talked about animals that are in heaven and how much fun you must be having with them.  Their dog has been very sick and today they had to say goodbye to her.  Her name is Pippin.  They wondered if you would look for her and help her to feel welcome in heaven. I think your table helped them to talk about their sadness and the joy of heaven. 

On day 9 we added two things from Oregon.  Your mama and daddy moved there last year with all your special things.  But you already know that. They made a special place in their home just for you. It is so perfect!  Your aunties visited your mama and daddy this summer and brought back these two very precious things from their trip; a real leaf that has been preserved and a rock turtle from the Sea Lion Cave.  They just knew you would have loved the sea lion caves.  We think they are right.  Do you play with the sea lions in heaven?

On day 10 we moved your light from the stand it usually sits on, to your table.  We bought this light for the first Wave of Light we participated in the year you went to heaven – 2012. Your little light shines in our hearts each and every day Samuel.

Your remembrance table would not be right without books.  Here are just a few that we have for you.  Your mama and daddy read books to you all the time while you were here with us.  We continue to buy books in your memory.  You know lots of books were donated to the library near your house in Mankato in your memory on your 2^nd birthday.  I like to think of all the families that check out your books and read your name and say it out loud. Day 11 was the day of Samuel’s books.

On day 12 Grampa hung the candle we bought together for this year’s Wave of Light.  Here it is right by the word love. We practiced lighting it for you.  It will be a very special night again to light the world with love for all our babies that are with you in heaven.  I bet you all stop and look down from heaven and cheer when your light shines up to each of you. We can just hear all the children of heaven squealing and imagine seeing you all jumping and clapping “there’s mine and there’s mine, oh look there’s yours…”. So much love shining up to you.

One more candle for day 13.  There is a loss mama who makes beautiful butterfly drawings in the sand in Australia for all the loss families.  Her name is CarlyMarie.  She made one just for you, Samuel.  We took one of the pictures of your sand butterfly and put it on a globe. We added some sand and a candle to light inside and laid some shells in front of it.  It is a beautiful blue, one of our favorite colors to remember you with.  It reminds us of the color daddy and grampa painted your room while we waited for you to be born.

It is almost the day for Wave of Light.  Day 14 and our table is complete. We light our candles. A part of your table has always been there.  Your table sits right under our shelf that always has the manager scene on it, we never put it away.   A mama that had to give her son back too.  We can think of no better place to have your table then under the story of Jesus, the light of the world, who gave his life so that we can be together forever with you in heaven, Samuel.  Samuel, you are already there, free from pain and sorrow; safe and happy and know only love. You have always only known love.  We can’t wait to be with you forever!

October 15, Wave of Light – we light the world with the light of our love for you, our beautiful little boy that we desperately miss each and every day.  You light up our lives with LOVE.

Sending lots of hugs and hundreds of kisses,

Grama and Grampa