The Festival Of Trees

Dear Carter,

Today was decorating Day for The Festival Of Trees.  It's hard to think that this tree which we've been working on all year long is finished!  I almost feel like I don't know what to do with myself! To say you were well-represented would be an understatement.  Your trees are beautiful....exactly like you.  Each one has it's own little elements which make it ever so special.  You were so loved little guy....and now everybody knows it!

I still won't give away the full trees until Sunday, but even from these pics you can see how much time and effort went into these.

Each time we finished up a tree, it seemed that we would end up having to talk with this very nice volunteer. After our second tree, she finally commented that she felt like she kept on seeing Carter's people everywhere. She asked about you, and I tried to give her the very basic details of your life. She continued to ask questions, and after asking her how she became involved in the Festival, she told us that she was actually a Resident doctor at your hospital. I went into a lot more detail about your life, and I just KNOW that she walked away from our conversation thinking about what she could learn from your story. She even made the comment that she feels like knowing kids like you is what makes her a better doctor. See baby, you continue to touch people's lives! Even the ones who didn't know you while you were here!

The festival is a magical place. Most of the people who do these trees are doing them in memory of somebody. I even got up the courage to introduce myself to a fellow blogger who has lost two girls to a similar condition to you. Although I wish that we weren't all in this boat together, it made me feel a little less alone. When you see how many trees were donated this year, and think about the hours upon hours of work that went into each of them, you realize that there is still a lot of good that can be done in this world. I feel so very blessed to be a part of it. I miss you so much baby boy, but I feel as though we made you proud today. I can't wait to get back down there tomorrow to see it all again tomorrow....to feel that magic again.