Ok, I finally am getting around to this!
August 30th was the 1 year anniversary of Bart's death. And it actually was one of the best days I've had in a really, really long time. I wanted to do 7 random acts of kindness for people in honor of him, Seven was his favorite number. I knew I wanted to do service, but I didn't know what I wanted to do. I had gone to the store the night before and picked up a whole bunch of oranges and a few things to put in some sunshine baskets. I had a few people in mind that I wanted to hand out the baskets to, but I didn't know what I was going to do with all those oranges that I picked up.
As our oldest was getting ready for school in the morning, I had an idea to do a sunshine basket for his teacher. He was really excited to bring it to her. And we wrote on the back of the card that it was in memory of Bart and what we were doing something kind for somebody else. He was so thrilled to bring it, it was fun to see him happy about serving, especially in honor of someone he's never met.
Next my little boys and I picked out some books that were orange to give away. I thought it would be really fun to give them to the neighbor. We have one sweet neighbor that has been so wonderful to me and has helped me out so much since we moved in. And they have a little boy that is my youngest's age. So the boys help me wrap it up and they were going to put it on the porch--- But, doorbell ditching to a 4 year old and a 2 year old is kind of confusing. While Caleb booked it home when he dropped it off, Isaac peeked around the corner and ruined the surprise. I'm actually really glad that he did because it was really cute to see the little boy light up to see his little friends give him a gift. They also wrote on the back that it was in memory of their daddy.
Now, this is my favorite.... A little bit later Caleb really wanted to go to the park. I thought, "Why not? This is our day, let's do something fun." Then I got to looking at the dozens of oranges that were sitting on my counter and I got the idea to write inspirational messages on them and hand them out to people at the park. I got really excited about it. And the kids were really excited too. My sweet neighbor that I mentioned before also came to the park to help us. As we walked up to the park, there was an older couple eating breakfast at the picnic tables and Caleb grabbed the first orange and asked if they wanted one. And they said of course! I wasn't going to tell anybody why we were giving oranges at first. But I really wanted the boys to see that people care about them and that their story was important. I also wanted the boys to know why we were doing it repeatedly - they already knew why before we came, but repetition is best when you're trying to teach youngins. When telling this older couple why we were handing out oranges, their eyes filled with tears and they hugged each of us and got on the boys' level and told them thank you and they were proud of them for being so brave. They told me they loved how we honored their daddy's memory and loved what I was teaching them. I am so glad I met them that day...
When thinking about the oranges, it is really symbolic to me. Of course everybody knows that Bart's favorite color was orange. Another thing that Bart was really into was living the healthiest that you can, always. Oranges are super healthy! Plus, oranges are packed with vitamin C . Bart had vitamin C pumped through his veins almost every day until he passed away. For months! This was something we really believed in. I still believe in it!
We made it a goal to pass out oranges to everybody at the park. Every child, every parent, anyone who wanted one! And guess what, they all wanted one! To see my boys eyes light up to while they were doing something kind for other people was so amazing! At ages 4 and 2 they understood what we were doing. They would tell people that they were handing out oranges to remember their daddy who died, because he loved orange. We all wore orange that day, too. Even our basket was orange that we carried our fruit in. On our way to the park, I saw some workers on the side of the road that works for the city and I handed them some oranges out the window. My little Caleb exclaimed from the back seat, "Mom that was so nice! Did you see them smile?" I did see them smile. I saw every single person we handed oranges to smile. We shared our story with so many people at the park that day. We received hugs, the little boys received lollipops from a cute old man. We shared tears with other parents at the park. My boys didn't even want to play on the toys that day! When we ran out of oranges they were really disappointed. Caleb really wanted to set up a booth to hand out oranges with a picture of Daddy Bart.... I think that is a great idea! Maybe next year. ;)
As I sat and watched the people at the park, it was amazing to see every single person eating an orange! Every single person around me was happy. They all felt joy for a moment. These two little boys brightened their day. It somehow seemed even though we all didn't know each other we were all connected. It was awesome! I definitely will be doing this yearly, if not sooner.
It was such an amazing day... It really was. We made a difference in people's day just by doing something incredibly simple. And I taught my boys a lesson in service and love.
We ended the day "up north" at the cemetery where all our kids sent balloons off to Daddy Bart, which is a favorite activity of theirs for sure. They all picked their favorite color to send to him so he would know who they were from. :) And Caleb, kept to tradition took the first swig of Dr Pepper and then placed it on his Daddy's grave. Later, we met up with my family for dinner at a restaurant in Kaysville. Such a great day! Seriously, it couldn't have gone better!
As time goes on the grief rises and falls... So many ups and downs in this road that I am on. I miss Bart so much. So many people have expressed to me - it doesn't seem real. Seems like he was JUST here helping them with some project. I couldn't agree more. It is still very unreal. BUT! Guess what, he is still helping us. He is just doing it from a different room. I feel him so much especially when it comes to our boys. He loves us so much and I am sure he misses us just as much and wishes he could wrap his arms around us and physically be here as well.... Miss you Bart lots and lots. Tooo much.
Tender Mercy Moment:
Already shared on Facebook, but I need it here for memories. It's too important to forget!
I loved it!
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