Mistletoe Market

We are so excited to have a booth at Mistletoe Market this weekend.  Come by and see us!  Also if you Signed up for the Give Thanks St Jude walk for Team Bella we will have the shirts there to pick up.

http://www.mistletoemarketbr.com

St Jude Remembrance Memorial Service

Trey and Baylor and I went to St Jude this weekend to remember and honor Bella.  It was the first time we have been back to St Jude since Bella has died.  It was a roller coaster of emotions but we are so glad we went.  We got to see the doctors and nurses.  They told us that they never got to say goodbye.  Her Doctor has her picture in his office. There were so many families and too many children who have died.  We will always be a part of the St Jude family and Bella will never be forgotten.  With your help we can help St Jude.  Go the St. Jude's website and sign up for the Give Thanks walk in November in Baton Rouge.  Our teams name is Team Bella.  Also if you haven't already please go to Facebook and LIKE our foundation page to get updates!  Bella Bowman Foundation page.  Please help us spread the word!

Gentle Hands

I am very excited about speaking at Gentle Hands Tuesday evening at St. Aloysius. I love sharing Bella's story. It helps me feel like she is here with me and never forgotten!


Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you… Jeremiah 1:5

Gentle Hands Memorial Service

Join us for an evening memorial service
for families who have suffered the loss of a child.
All faiths are welcome.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012
6:30 pm
St. Aloysius Catholic Church

We invite you to arrive early to sit in the garden
and pray or reflect near the Gentle Hands Sculpture.

Gentle Hands is a ministry of St. Aloysius Parish that ministers to families that have suffered the death of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, early infant loss or other tragedies.

For more information, e-mail: Michelle Breaux @ 4breaux@att.net

Bella received her Birthday Wishes!

COURAGE, BELIEF, FAITH and STRENGTH - - -This is what Bella taught us!

You may remember this story from Easter…After church Easter Sunday morning, Baylor, Kim and Trey went to visit Bella at her grave.  It was a special day for us.  We asked Bella to please let us know that you are OK and this simple prayer was answered.  When we got home there was a white dove next to the pond.  This dove stayed with us all day.  After calling Sister Uyen and sharing this good news, she said “that would make sense, Bella the red bird did not visit me today; she came to see you in her Easter white”  This day was very special because Bella sent a sign through to confirm with us that she is OK.  Three days later the white dove appeared again right outside of Trey’s office window.  This was brief but long enough for a few photos’ and yet again fueling our COURAGE, BELIEF, FAITH and STRENGTH.

Saturday September 8^th was Bella’s Birthday.  We celebrated that morning at Chick-fil-A with a helium balloon launch.  All red balloons with white ribbons tied to them along with a message that children / adults wrote to send  Bella in Heaven. We know that Bella received these messages because we found one.  While cutting the grass this past Saturday (one week from the launch), Trey ran over a red balloon with a white ribbon.  Unfortunately the white ribbon was shredded, but he was able to get the red balloon.   This balloon traveled for miles back to Bella’s House and landed directly across the driveway from where we saw the white dove, Easter Sunday morning.  No message was attached, because we are sure that Bella kept it.  We are confident this is Bella communicating to us, since we never did have these balloon’s at our house…there was not a possible chance that one escaped…This was Bella, fueling our COURAGE, BELIEF, FAITH and STRENGTH!  Thank you Bella!

Please share / like this story with someone or others.  Hopefully it will have a positive impact on them; as it did for us!

 

Happy Birthday Bella!

SAVE THE DATE!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8!  COME CELEBRATE WITH US AND SEND BELLA A BALLOON ON HER BIRTHDAY!  DETAILS TO COME!

Making New Memories

Another hard hurdle I had to go through today.  This is a picture of Bellas dance bag and uniform from last year.  I got it out of her closet because I am registering Baylor tomorrow for her first year of dance at Powell Moise and I needed to know what fit?  Well everything fit her.  She was so excited to wear her big sis dance uniform.  Before Bella passed away I asked her if it was ok if Baylor went to her dance studio.  Bella told me yes but not in her class.  It is so ironic that Baylor's class time is the same class time Bella's was last year.  It is going to be hard to do the same routine without my Bella but what I have learned through many counseling sessions is I have to live through it and make new memories to lift some of the pain.  I'm trying to do it but some things are just so hard.  I don't know why God has put me through the many hardships in my life that I have gone through in only 39 short years but I can only hope that the payoff is unimaginable and will be amazing!

Believe!

Its been a while since I have posted but we have taken some time off during the summer and also trying to adjust to our "new life".

I have a story to tell that will remind you how Bella is still here and alive all around us.

Last week we received a letter from St. Jude asking us to come and participate in a Memorial service honoring Bella and other children who lost there battle with cancer.  I had trouble sleeping all week and I just wasn't myself.  I kept thinking how am I going to walk the same halls I had last walked with Bella.  It was our place.  Our memories.  Our special place where we used to eat at the Kay Cafe.  Our favorite place where I used to read to her while we were waiting for her next therapy.  How would I see the doctors and nurses again?  It was a lot to take in and I knew that it was a hurdle that I wanted to go through, but the thought of it made me very sad!  So I asked Bella to come and help my sad heart and that I needed to know she was still with me.

 Later that night we were having our family movie night on the couch and Baylor brought in blankets for all of us.  I really didn't notice which ones she had brought to us but after the movie was over and Trey and Baylor were asleep and I was still on the couch alone,  I realized that I was covered in the orange pumpkin blanket that I had given to Bella when we were at St Jude and it was her favorite.  She was always wrapped up in it and it always had to be on her bed!!!  The crazy thing, this blanket was put away when we came home from the hospital after Bella had passed away and I had not seen it since.  I know it was Bella's way of wrapping herself around me when I needed her.  I sat and cried holding that blanket.  I could smell her!   This was her way of telling me that I can do it and she will be there with me!  If only I could hear her sweet voice telling me it was going to be ok like she always did, if only I could hold her warm body one more time!  I would give up give my life up for that one moment!

Here are four words that you should take with you today that Trey encouraged and reminded me to keep going and keep her story alive:  STRENGTH, FAITH, COURAGE and BELIEF!  Anything is possible if you just BELIEVE!