In life, grief is inevitable. If you are fortunate enough to love, you will inevitably grieve. The world understands that. The world knows how to handle that. But when that love and that grief are attached to the loss of an infant, the world doesn’t know what to do.

This wasn’t lost on us. We knew that, had roles been reversed, we wouldn’t have a clue what to say or do. So we shared. We shared our hearts and souls. We shared posts from others who had walked this path before us.

And you listened. You listened and you learned. You learned how to talk to us. How to honor our daughter. How to walk beside us down this long road. You learned how to love us and how to sit beside us in the darkness. You showed us that your hearts have an Isla shaped hole in them too.

The simplest things you’ve done have made our lives so much brighter. You’ve asked to see pictures. You’ve commented on her tiny feet or precious little nose. You’ve asked about her measurements or whose features were whose. And you’ve even asked about the hard stuff, which we share because we are proud of our baby girl. We could talk about her for hours. She was a fighter. She was strong and she was beautiful.

For this we can never repay you. There is no currency or material item in the world to repay the gift you have given us. In the times of COVID, I can’t give all the hugs I’m dying to give, but know they’re coming when it’s safe!

Above is a prime example of the love we have been shown. This wonderful fairy garden bares the name of our little angel and resides at the elementary school where I teach.

Every day I get to go to work somewhere where my baby girl is honored, remembered, and loved. Every day I get to go to work somewhere where my heart is cared for. I am blessed to work in a district where I’m surrounded by compassion and care all the way to the top - human first, employee second.

We are where we are meant to be.

We will never be the same and neither will you.

Thank you.

Please Share Our Story

Isla Rose's Fairy Garden