Angel Month

Shortly after Grace passed away, a friend put me in touch with another local mother who had lost an infant daughter. One of the things she told me was that each year, on the day that their baby passed, they light a candle in honor of her and call that day her “angel day.” That term has stuck in my mind, and I think it’s very sweet. Rather than calling it a “death anniversary” or “anniversary of passing”, the term “angel day,” is much more uplifting. All babies are precious little angels sent to us from heaven. I don’t know why some have to return to heaven early, it just doesn’t seem right.

Brien and I have been discussing what to do when Grace’s angel day arrives on Oct. 23^rd. We had planned to start her butterfly garden, however it now seems that spring would be a more practical time for that. We also thought about having a gathering of friends, however we are very hesitant to plan that, as we just don’t know exactly how we will feel on that day. What we know for sure is that Brien and I will definitely spend the day together, visit Grace, and include a special gift for her. She will forever be our angel.

Today I was shopping at Kohl’s and wandered into their Christmas section to look for angels. We wanted to find a special one for her day. As I was looking around at all the ornaments and figurines, I found these blocks with angels on them that spelled the word Grace. Next to the blocks was also a beautiful snow globe with an angel and her name on it as well. Of course, I had to buy them even though Christmas is still some time away. The discovery of the angels got me thinking….maybe I should think about angels all year round and how they are always among us. Grace gave me an idea.

I’ve decided that October will be Grace’s angel month. I think she deserves more than one day of commemoration. The enormous life lessons she has taught me I will hope to carry with me always. For the remainder of the month, and the days leading up to her angel day, I will try and complete one angel deed per day. It may be something simple like taking out the trash (which is usually Brien’s job) or calling up an old friend, or it may be something requiring more thought and preparation. Today, I thought of a friend and bought her a small gift. Who knows what tomorrow’s angel deed will be? I hope that others will join me in some small angel deeds during October, and think fondly of our angel lessons.