Do Good

In the face of tragedy, it is easy to blame the world. The world is a bad place. Bad things happen. The universe is unfair. I blame the universe a lot. Why me? Why my daughters? Why my family? When tragedy strikes, you have two options; run and hide, or get up and act. I did my fair share of running and hiding, and quite frankly, I still do. As Stella & Joy’s first birthday approaches, I want to run and hide. I want to hide away and pretend that it hasn’t been a year since my daughters passed away. Pretend that it hasn’t been a year since my life crumbled right below my feet. A year since my world fell apart.

As much as I want to, I am not going to run and hide. Instead, I am going to do some good. For the month of November, I will be collecting children’s books. Since I will not have the opportunity to give my daughters birthday presents, I am going to donate these books to a low-income daycare center so that other children can enjoy them.

My girls had a purpose. My girls had meaning. Stella and Joy deserve to be remembered. If their passing can somehow better the lives of those less fortunate, then their memory can be preserved. I need my daughters to have a purpose and to be remembered. My greatest fear is that everyone will move on with their lives, Stella and Joy will be forgotten, and their existence will have been meaningless. I can not let that happen. I will not let that happen.

So, in the face of tragedy and grief, I am choosing to do good. To better the world we live in. To impact the lives of others, even if just in some small way.

Please, if you are able to donate even just one children’s book, I would so greatly appreciate it. If not, I ask that you do some good in this world. No act is too small. Just think of my girls, Stella and Joy, and make this world we live in just a little bit brighter.