This beautiful cemetery in the Texas Hill Country is where Rowan's earthly body is laid to rest, alongside many others, including some of his special young friends.
As fellow angel Moms and Dads, we sometimes visit each others children's graves when we visit our own. We pray for them, we cry for them, we leave flowers or little treasures for them. Today though, today, one special angel Mom did something extra. Olivia's Mom went to visit our babies, who lay just 10 feet away from one another,
and she read Rowan a story. It's not the first time she's done that, but today was a little different.
Today she read "Two Hippos up on sticks" to Rowan.
As she admitted on the video she sent me, "This may be too babyish Rowan, but it's hippos, so I couldn't resist." She was right. Hippos were Rowan's all time favorite animal. He loved everything hippo related. He even got to hand-feed the hippos at the zoo behind the scenes once.
Yes, Rowan was surely smiling down from heaven as he watched Vivian there at the cemetery today, as he listened to her read this sweet book. But when I watched the video, again and again today, and listened to her read the book to Rowan, I was awestruck for more reasons than just the hippos referenced in the title.
Yes, there were 2 Hippos up on sticks... (From toddler to ten years old, hippos were Rowan's favorite animal. We had so many sets of stuffed hippo twins, so that if he and I were ever apart, we would each have the same hippo to snuggle with. He did the same with his home nurse Cindy while he was in Seattle.)
But there were also 4 Fish drinking Lemonade... (Think of all the money Rowan raised to help others selling his ginger lemonade over the years... over $20,000 :)
10 Butterflies... (I see orange butterflies everywhere since Rowan passed away (and not just these past few weeks during butterfly-ageddon in South Texas), and he always said that butterflies were his angel friends when he was still alive)
the Orange fox... (His favorite color-Orange, "Fantastic Mr. Fox"-one of his favorite movies, and Brian and I have had a fox visit us many times since Rowan passed, both at home and away.)
Green froggy... (Rowan was buried with his very own "Green frog Jr." wubby, the special toy he held in his hand during every surgery and hospitalization, and I kept his twin, the original, "OG. Green frog" wubby, and sleep with it every single night.)
So many signs, so many memories, so much love felt from Vivian's act of kindness today.
Thank you for being there today Vivian, not just for our babies, Olivia and Rowan, but also for me. Your "well check" today- bringing me coffee and tissues to the house (since you didn't run in to me at the cemetery)... such a blessing. You reading to Rowan, let alone sending me video of the whole story...priceless. Your friendship... beyond measure.
Adversity, need, trouble...we have both seen our share.
Love...we have always shown each other.
Calls to mind-
Proverbs 17:17
~~~
I thank God for your friendship.
I thank you for loving my son, as I have loved your daughter...
both on Earth and in Heaven.
Our families will forever be intertwined.
Our losses, have joined our hearts for eternity.
In a way,
we ourselves are...
"two hippos up on sticks".
Love, Carebear
In loving memory of Rowan and Olivia:
(***yes, they are indeed healed***)
