Last year, on a mild October evening at the end of a rainy day, over two hundred people gathered together in a grassy field to pause for a few moments and remember the children that all too briefly graced our lives. The only sound was the beautiful music of a gently played guitar and the names of our children being said aloud, one by one. We stood together and looked up at the sky, watching as green balloon after green balloon rose up into the air, passed through a patch of amazing yellow light that illuminated the treetops and disappeared into the distance. Each balloon quietly carried with it a note written on seed paper for a deeply loved and desperately missed little child, and later that evening when the balloons burst, the letters drifted back down to the ground where they were reclaimed by the earth. Eventually wildflowers would sprout from these love letters to our children.
Sweet Pea Project will be holding this event again this year on October 15th, National Remembrance Day for families who have experienced the death of a baby. Just as we did last year, precautions are being taken to make sure that this is an eco-friendly event. We are using only sap-based biodegradable balloons, vegetable dyed raffia and compostable seed paper.
Sweet Pea Project is inviting the community to join them for their 2nd Annual Remembrance Gathering at Long’s Park in Lancaster, PA, on Saturday, October 15th at 6pm. Please be sure to arrive between 5-5:30pm to pick up your balloons and seed paper and write notes to insert in your balloons before inflation. This family friendly event is free, but registration is requested. If you would like to attend please email [email protected] with the following information by October 7:
1. The name of the child(ren) you are remembering
2. The number of balloons your family will need
*Please note: Each guest may receive one balloon per child remembered. For example, if your family of 4 is remembering twins you may request 8 balloons.
Philadelphia band Sean Cox & Company will provide quiet instrumentals and Grace Photos will capture the beauty of the evening in photographs. This year’s sponsors include Baby’s Silkie, Charles F Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, Darrenkamps & Spacht Funeral Home.
Several other Sweet Pea Project affiliated Remembrance Gatherings will be happening across the country on the same day in places such as California, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Florida. More details and a video from last year’s event can be found online at www.sweetpeaproject.org/remember. We hope you will join us as we stop to remember the little ones whose tiny footprints have made such lasting marks on our hearts.
Sweet Pea Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Lancaster, PA. Founded in January 2009 by a local bereaved mother, Stephanie Paige Cole, Sweet Pea Project strives to provide comfort, support and gentle guidance to families who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy or infancy. Current board members include Cole (president), Richard Cole (vice president), Beth Gauthier (treasurer), Nicole Jackson (secretary) and Simone Lee. For more information on Sweet Pea Project and their efforts please visit www.sweetpeaproject.org.
Nicole Jackson is coordinating this year’s gathering, questions may be directed to her at [email protected].
