Saturday evening we gathered to celebrate and honor Liam on his second birthday. It was a great little birthday party, "the only thing missing was the birthday boy" as my nephew so sweetly put it. Most of the ingredients for a successful birthday party were there; balloons, cupcakes, family, friends, pinwheels. I can't help but think that Liam was there too. He may not have been there physically, but he was with us. He's always with us.
Honestly, Nick and I don't go to the cemetery very often. I'm not really sure why. Liam is buried in the Garden of Angels, which is a special location of the cemetery that is designated for children. Every time we go, there are numerous new rows of children that have been buried since our last visit. It's heartbreaking to see all the families that have joined this club. Maybe that's what keeps us away. However, I do like gathering there to celebrate his life and honor him. I like seeing his name. I like replacing the flowers. I like talking to him there. I like sharing him there with the other people that come to support us and honor Liam.
Nick and I found the irony of the party to be quite significant. We gathered at the cemetery to have cupcakes, release balloons into the sky, and sing Happy Birthday. We ended up doing all those things, then we witnessed the sweetest moments. The kids were playing and having a great time and they had no clue that beneath them were the bodies of children who could no longer run and play. Some of the departed children never had the opportunity to run and play. The kids at Liam's party had no idea that the place where we had gathered represented sorrow and loss. They simply enjoyed being with each other and found a way to have fun regardless of their location. This brought such peace to Nick and I. It was also a good lesson. Liam wouldn't want us to sit around and be sad at his party. He's in Heaven having an amazing time. He'd want us to do the same on his birthday. And so we did. Especially the kids.
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