Honoring Eli and Michael

Hi Friends,

I am so touched by how many of you have reached out to me and shared how our sweet angels have blessed your lives in some way. I know they have and will continue to bless ours in ways we cannot yet imagine for ever and ever.

11.11.11 is coming up. Rather quickly. This is a day, mind you, that I imagined would be spent at home with my babies, whom surely would have arrived by then. On this day, I planned to hold them in my arms and celebrate their new lives. One day, I would tell them all about their special due date, even if they didn't arrive on that day. I can't hold them in my arms on that day. I can honor their lives.
Am I looking forward to this day? I am actually a complete mess about it. It is more than just a day to us. It is symbolic. Each year that passes, I will remember significant dates. Some are breathtakingly happy, like March 1st, the day we found out we were pregnant and March 14th, the day we found out we were having twins. Some are heart-wrenching and will probably stop me in my tracks for a lifetime. What will November 11th be? Will I become sullen on this day each year? Will I smile as I remember my angels? Time will only tell. But, our babies, however fleeting their time was with us here on earth, brought us a joy we had never experienced. No matter how broken our hearts may be, we want to celebrate our sons. We want to honor them. Hubby and I have thought about all of the possible ways to honor our sweet boys on this day and here is what we have come up with:

We will each release two blue balloons at 11:11 a.m. On each balloon, we will write messages to Elijah and Michael, and we'll send them up to Heaven, right along with our prayers and deepest love.

Hoda Kotb, breast cancer surviver, was given this advice: Don't hog your journey. Reading those words made me remember that while we are moving through our journey of life, love, grief, and happiness (in no particular order), so many of your are walking with us. You're also moving through the grief of losing our boys. You are climbing mountains of your own. You are holding my hand as I climb mine.  I am inviting you, our family and our friends (near or far, blogger world, real world, and both) to celebrate our babies on this day. Maybe I see you everyday, not nearly enough, or perhaps we've never even met yet our story and our boys have impacted your life in some way.

 If you feel moved to release two balloons in honor of Elijah and Michael, we would be so touched. If you would like to write messages on the balloons and are also able to release them at 11:11, that would be amazing. If you'd like to release balloons at any point in time on that day, that would be amazing. If you'd like to just send up a sweet prayer to them on that day, that would be amazing. If you do release balloons or do anything else to honor our boys on 11.11.11, I would love it if you'd take a picture and send it my way so that I can collect, keep and treasure them.

I like the idea of Michael and Eli watching down on us and seeing bunches of balloons coming up to them, reminding them how deeply missed, loved and cherished they are.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our precious babies.