Natalie’s Memory

Hi everyone, it’s been a long time since we’ve posted anything. I’m amazed at the emotional energy it takes to get started doing these things, but we know that we have to at some point, so here we are.

We want to take some time to thank everyone. We never did get thank you cards sent out for those who sent cards and gifts for Natalie’s funeral, and we apologize for that. Every time we tried starting……well, I can’t really describe what happens, but you’re emotionally drained. It’s hard to explain, but thank you to all of you, we really do appreciate everything.

We want to give special thanks our family and friends who helped us when we had to be out of town. Lynn, Mary, Dustin, and Kaitlyn helped us more times than we can remember by taking Pharaoh home & watching our house for us; as did Cindy, Missy & Wayne, and Amanda & family. I have to thank Tom (my boss) & everyone else at MDU/CSG for their understanding and support, they went above and beyond to let me be with my family, and we are eternally grateful. Also, a huge thanks to Pastor Gordon, as he was with us throughout Natalie’s journey, and he did an absolutely perfect memorial service for her. There aren’t enough words to thank Barb for being with us through this and spending time with Heidi and Natalie, especially at times when I had to be away; also to Paul for braving the big city to be with us. Finally, thank you to all of you for your prayers, thoughts, calls, texts, and words of encouragement; we truly appreciate all of you.

We want take this time to tell everyone about a fund we are starting in Natalie’s memory. To ensure that Natalie’s memory lives on, we’ve decided to start a non-profit organization called “The Little Red Wagon Fund,” (Natalie loved her rides in her wagon). This organization will focus on helping families who have to be away from home to stay with a sick child. We know first-hand how hard it is, and how expensive it is, to travel back and forth so that you can continue to provide but also be with your child and spouse. This fund will help people by paying for airfare, hotels, or other expenses, so that parents can spend as much time as possible with their child. We’re still in the process of getting all of the proper paperwork filled out, but we will update you all as things progress, and when we can begin raising more funds and taking applications from families who could benefit.

We are also in the process of building a garden area in Natalie’s memory. We were going to include it in this post, but we’ll do a seperate post so we can track progress and include pictures along the way.