It’s hard to believe it’s already been 4 1/2 months since we lost our son, Brady John.  In many ways, it feels like it happened yesterday.  Yet, I feel as if I am 100 years older.  I’m sure many of you experience this same feeling of time warp.  Over the past few months, we’ve done a lot to honor Brady’s memory, and still, I find myself seeking new ways to continue to honor him.

Today, I’d like to share some of the ways we’ve honored and remembered Brady.  I’m hoping you’ll also share ways that you’ve honored and remembered your child in the comments!  Here’s a little glimpse of what we’ve done:

• March for Babies – My sister and I launched Team Brady John and walked in the March for Babies to raise money for the March of Dimes.  In Brady’s short life, he received numerous treatments researched and funded through the March of Dimes.  Doctors know so little about HELLP Syndrome and my hope is that by raising money for this worthy cause, we can someday prevent tragedies like ours from happening to other families.  I love that this is something we can continue to do year after year.  I wrote a post on my blog about our experience here if you’d like to hear more!

• Gardening – At our new house, we have lots of places for plants and flowers.  I’ve never had much of a green thumb, so I was apprehensive to link my sub-par gardening skills to Brady.  I felt I’d be extra-devastated if any of the plants meant to remember him met with an unfortunate demise.  Ultimately, I faced my fear with a couple of perennials (hoping they’d be a bit more hearty).  The color blue reminds me of Brady, so I planted some Stairway to Heaven irises and blue hydrangeas.  The irises ended up more purple than blue, but I think the name is appropriate enough!

• Brady’s Cedar Chest – I’ve told this story on this blog, and also on my personal blog, so I won’t go into great detail again.  I love that the chest for a number of reasons:
  • It allows me to keep all of Brady’s things together
  • I can look at his things whenever I want
  • It will keep Brady present in his nursery (that he will hopefully someday share with a sibling)

• Blogging – I’ve shared our story, stories of Brady’s life, and our life after loss on youmeandbrady.com, and will continue to share our stories and our memories.  Friends have reached out and told me that they feel that they know Brady, even though they never had the chance to meet him.  It truly warms my heart to know how many hearts Brady has touched, and continues to touch.

These are just a few of the things that we’ve done to honor and remember Brady.  I would love to read what you have done to honor and remember your child.  Please share what you’ve done (or are doing) in the comments – I hope we can inspire each other with lots of ideas!