Backpacks for Grace

Now that's cool.

If I make my goal of $250 here, that will be another 10 backpacks. My personal goal is 25 backpacks total, and that seems extremely doable.

And if we do it this year, maybe we'll do it again next year.

More blessings. More thanks.

Terry

I don't know how to say whatever it is I want to say in this spot, but here's what I know. Several years ago my daughter Grace was born. She was born but she never took a breath of air, never nursed at her mother's breast, never argued with her sister or bit her brother or told me that she loved me (or told me that she didn't love me, for that matter) or went to camp or or stayed up watching the Olympics or woke up in terror from a dream of a spider in the bed. Grace was stillborn. Born still. And that's who she was, or is, and will always be. Complex and simple all at once.

This year would have been her first year of kindergarten, and she won't be doing that either (obviously). But we're sending her to kindergarten anyway.

My wife and I have started "Backpacks for Grace," a small fund with small goals for small people with big big futures and big big lives. My wife's blog entry explaining it far more eloquently than I'm doing here can be found on her Geography of Grief blog (I'm having trouble getting the link to work in this entry, so follow the url below to read more):

http://geographyofgrief.blogspot.com/2008/07/backpacks-for-grace.html

The idea is to pay the way for some backpacks for kindergarten kids in our district (Spokane's District 81) who couldn't otherwise afford those packs. And, of course, we hope to fill 'em up with useful supplies. Pencils, crayons, gluestick... in fact, here's the official list:

1 girl's or boy's backpack

A supply box to hold pencils and crayons

1 box 8-large size washable markers

1 pair blunt-end scissors

1 box of tissue

1 box 24 Crayons

2 - #2 pencils

glue stick

Instead of asking folks to send a specific amount, or to send a pack of things, I'm asking for contributions here, on chipin, hoping to make a small difference in the life of a child. It's worthwhile, I know it is. Sometimes the smallest difference is actually the biggest difference in the long run, even if you never actually see the result. It will be good for my heart to know that I can share some of the love I have for Grace but find so difficult to share otherwise. Because she's not here.

But now I'm rambling.

Chip in for kindergartners' backpacks. That's what I really want to say.

Thanks for visiting. For contributing if you are so moved.

And blessings to you.