A Memorial In The Form Of A Tree

I have amazing friends.  On Sunday, my best friends and my sister-in-law showed up at my house with a tree.  They did lots of research and decided on the perfect tree to serve as a memorial for Silas.  They picked out a "Rising Sun Red Bud" native tree that has heart shaped leaves and blooms beautiful purple flowers every February.  We picked the perfect spot to plant it in our front yard where we can see the tree every time we walk by the front door, or when we are sitting on the recliner or couch.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and it was so therapeutic to watch my best friends, their husbands and all of our beautiful children working together to dig the hole and plant the tree. It was a good day and it lifted our spirits tremendously!

We have been doing okay.  We of course have days where we are overcome with sadness and days where we are angry and question why.  But we also have days and moments where we are very thankful - thankful that Silas will never have to suffer, thankful for the 2 amazing children we have, and thankful for the very supportive and loving friends and family that surround us. We have been overwhelmed by the messages, cards, prayers and thoughtful gifts we have received.

 One of my Mom's best friends sent me this little crystal guardian angel that is now hanging in my car.  It is perfect - tiny, precious and a beautiful reminder of our little angel.

 A cookie bouquet for the kids sent by some dear friends who unfortunately know exactly what we are going through and have been full of compassion and advice.

Flowers from my brother-in-law's family that have brightened up the house all week.

And the list goes on and on....My life long best friend came over while we were still in Houston and weeded all my flower beds, stocked the house with groceries, and had a warm meal waiting in the oven after a long trip home. My mother-in-law brought us a meal that fed us for days. Another best friend came to visit and brought books for me and the kids (I am a bookworm and loved them!), lots of junk food, and several meals from members of her church who didn't even know us. We were sent a box of frozen individual meals that we just pop in the microwave when we are in a pinch from another BFF. My sister-in-law brought over a bag of our family's favorite goodies. We have also had several friends make donations in memory of Silas to CMV Foundations - a gesture that touched us tremendously. All of these acts of kindness remind us how lucky we are and continue to lift our spirits. There are no words to explain how much all of these things and each message has meant to us and how grateful we are. Our family and friends loved Silas already like we did, and have cried with us and for us.

Stuart picked up Silas' ashes this week in Houston and we plan to have a small service on Saturday.  We chose to have the remains buried in our church cemetery in Ennis in the "Baby Land" section.  I am ordering a small granite grave marker and it is a place we can visit in the future if we want.  The kids seem to be handling it okay, but we want to involve them and give them closure as well, so they each wrote a letter to Silas and we will let them release balloons at the service.

If you feel inclined, the best way to honor Silas is to spread the word about CMV.  A great website to pass along is www.stopCMV.org. Please continue to pray that as awareness spreads, a vaccine and/or treatment will come along that stops future problems with congenital CMV.