June 22, 2012 is a date that continues to be on my mind as each June 22 rolls around. It should have been Robby’s due date. Each year when this day rolls around I can’t help but feel a pang of sadness of what might have been.

 

Tonight, on what should have been Robby’s due date, I am sitting down to write letters to parents who have requested a Project Robby Keepsake set. In the last week we have had 182 requests for keepsake sets come through.

A lot of love and thought goes into picking out each keepsake set for the grieving families. We look for a hat, blanket, and angel wing that is the correct size. Sometimes we have parents mention something specific about their baby such as “ I was only 5 weeks, but I felt that he was a boy” or “I associate her with the color purple.” Some have had multiple losses, some have lost twins or triplets. We do our best to send out matching sets for multiples and if there was something specific mentioned, we really try to make the set fit what the parents have mentioned in the special notes. After each set has been chosen, I sit down and I hand write a letter to the parents who have lost their baby.

Normally we receive about 1 keepsake set request each day, but right now I am writing about 20-25 letters each day. With each letter I write I say a prayer for the family who will be receiving this keepsake set because I know the pain and heartache that they are feeling.

 

I am so thankful for everyone who supports Project Robby. Those who pray for us, those who participate in our fundraisers, those who crochet/knit/sew for us, those who send us supplies, those who share about us on Facebook.  It is because of this support that we have keepsake sets to send out, and that we have the funds to send them out to grieving families all over the world.

 

Although I still  miss Robby deeply, I am thankful for the work that we are able to do in his memory.