Stop and Smell the Pinecones

There’s a new ornament on our Christmas tree this year.  It’s on the kid’s tree in the playroom, and it’s different than all the rest. It’s a scented pinecone with a beautifully scripted tag adorning it.  Under any other occasion, it would bring sheer joy.  But currently, looking at this pinecone brings sentiments of both joy and sadness.  Joy because it represents a truly bright soul, and sadness because it honors a soul that the world has lost.  Eliza Hope Darby was 4-years-old when she completed her journey on this earth just weeks ago.  Eliza is the beautiful daughter of two truly amazing, self-sacrificing, and magnanimous people who have overcame several trials in life already with sheer grace. Unfortunately, Aimee and Aaron are left to navigate yet another unimaginable tragedy in life, and yet,they’re once again doing so with strength, bravery, and God’s encompassing grace.

I have set with Aimee, and watched her exude pure strength as she talks about Eliza, grief, the road to healing, and her dreams and desires now.  If you’re a parent, I’m sure you cannot fathom waking up and that role being altered…changed forever. Though I’m not a stranger to grief, I felt completely helpless and in foreign territory as I sat this past week talking with Aimee, wanting so badly to take away her pain that I could not even comprehend. But yet, she sat in front of me, and she talked about helping other children, and her desire to better the lives of other children who struggled like Eliza and their families. She detailed her dreams and desires to ease the burden of parents who struggled as Aimee and Aaron did to find specific care that would meet their children’s needs and simplify their daily life. Aimee and Aaron desire to build a school in memory of Eliza, that will provide parents with inclusive services to meet both educational and therapy needs of the pre-school aged child; improving daily quality of life. If I could take the time to explain how necessary this is for parents of children who require unique care for health and/or educational needs, you would be reading for a very long time.  I won’t get on my soap box about the lack of available care or the gap of services that exist for children with unique needs past the age of early-intervention but before they are school age; but I will tell you without a doubt, that Aimee and Aaron’s design for this school is both brilliant and necessary.

I’ve been on both sides of designing care and providing services for sweet children such as Eliza.  I’ve been the case manager without enough resources or finances to meet obvious needs that would ease burdens for children and their families, and I’ve been the classroom educator who needed more sets of hands and time in order to identify and implement plans for success. I cannot begin to explain how amazing Aimee’s idea is, or how much I feel this design would benefit families like the Darbys who desire to help their child learn, grow, and excel all while being able to just be a child. This is a big dream, and a big desire, that could have a huge impact on local families with children with unique learning needs. That is why I’m writing to you today and sharing the following link, for you to not only consider supporting this amazing family and amazing opportunity, but for you to share this post and ask others to also stand behind the Darby’s dream.  While seeing their dream become reality won’t take away the pain that this sweet family feels, a contribution to this dream is a contribution to achieving a tangible and progressive tribute to Eliza’s amazing life.

I will say, that I am completely biased when it comes to Eliza Hope. I was working as a teacher and coordinator in the Power Tots wing of our church when I met Aimee, Aaron, and Eliza.  Of course I gravitated to Eliza because of my background and heart for children with unique needs, but I will honestly tell you that you could not come in contact with Eliza and not feel her joyous nature and be totally enamored with her.  She was a mini-fashionista who was always smiling.  I thought of Eliza as sleeping beauty because often you could find her sweetly cuddled up with someone or fast asleep amidst complete chaos in the children’s wing.  In four years, she surely impacted more individuals than most can impact in a lifetime.  Aimee and Aaron’s desire is that her kind heart and nature be spread to others, creating her legacy and memorializing her innocence, kindness, and beauty.

The pinecone that adorns our tree is from Eliza’s memorial service. Eliza took the time to stop and smell the Christmas-scented pinecones on her front porch each morning, making her mother do the same.  If you’re a parent, and even if you’re not, I’m asking you to stop taking the everyday ordinary for granted like we all too often do and make time to turn ordinary moments into extraordinary ones.  Take the time to stop and smell the pinecones with your kids when they ask, take the time to slow down while driving, let someone go in front of you, think of someone else’s needs before your own, teach others about kindness through your own actions, and give as God graciously gives to you. Be kind. Love Jesus. Hug your family, and take time to stop and smell the pinecones this season and all others…and do so for Eliza and for her Mommy and Daddy.

If you would like to donate to the Darby’s dream and Eliza’s legacy, follow the link below:

Eliza Hope- You Caring Donation Page

Please join me in praying for and lifting up the Darby family. <3