SHARE Atlanta

"Ring to the Lord a New Song" by Cathy Moklebust
St. Luke's Presbyterian Church Festival Ringers

"On Eagle's Wings"
St. Luke's Presbyterian Church Festival Ringers and Music Makers

"The Touch of An Angel" by Valerie S. SHARE Atlanta parent
Read by Diane Rooks, author Spinning Straw Into Gold: How Stories Heal

Lighting of Memorial Candles
by Brothers and Sisters of Our Special Babies

Ryan and Colin Anderson, Emily Keen, Erin Policastro, and Virginia and Matthew Jordan

The twelve candles represent the months of the year. When the candles are lit, one of the twelve will be for the month of your loss. Our children are important and they should have a chance to shine, even if only for a brief time. One is in memory of those lost and in prayer for all those whose lives were so tragically changed on September 11. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and with our country.

"Suo Gan" (Welsh traditional)
Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde

(The lighting of the candles by our living children in memory of their siblings was a highlight of our program. To have the gentle voices of the children's choir behind them followed by the lullaby touched all of us.)

(Wes welcomed our guests, told a little about the angel garden's history and thanked Terry and Chris Clontz, Joe and Polly Keen, and the SHARE volunteers for their various parts in the SHARE Atlanta angel garden.)

"Waterbug Story"
Paula Fine, a SHARE Atlanta parent read in memory of her son Aaron

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about with its friends. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily, it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another, "One of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she's going?" Up, up, up it slowly went... Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...

"That's funny!" said one water bug to another... " Wasn't she happy here?" asked a second... "Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third... No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled.

Finally one of the water bugs gathered its friends together. "I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why." "We promise" they said solemnly.

One spring day not long after the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broken through the surface of the water and fallen into the broad and free lily pad above.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come over his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail.

Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings... The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from his new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself above the water.

He had become a dragonfly. Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere.

By and by the new dragonfly landed happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.

Then the dragonfly remembered the promise. without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...

"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least I tried. But I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."

And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air...

Dear God, please remember _________ who has left the pond we live in...and remember me...

"Precious Child" by Karen Taylor-Good
Vocalist ~ Tammie Creery

(Tammie sang the song with such a sweetness of understanding of what these words mean to each of the parents who heard them. The words say what each of us have felt ever since the loss of our child. I didn't want her to stop singing. We thank her for sharing her gift with us to help make this moment in our program so special.)

Wes Sarginson introduced Richard Paul Evans

(He described his international acclaim with his book, and shared how RPE's has been a supporter of SHARE and of bereaved parents everywhere.)

Richard Paul Evans speaks about The Christmas Box and The Christmas Box Angel of Hope.

(He spoke about how the angel statue was part of healing, part of needed ritual and symbolism, but healing had to be accomplished by each individual in the way that they coped and worked through their pain. His message was to remember and to make our loved one's presence meaningful in some way.)

"I Am One Voice" by Don Eaton
Vocalists ~ Tammie Creery and Donna Babb, Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde, and the audience joined in on the last two verses.

"A Touch of Hope" by Jennifer Greer, a SHARE Atlanta parent
Read by Diane Rooks in memory of her son David

"My dreams came true when the Atlanta angel was delivered. As the crate was pried away, the first thing I saw was her arms, those outstretched arms that say “up.” I became so still at the sight of her, not high over my head but the height of a child, that someone asked me what was wrong.

Nothing, nothing was wrong. At last she looked truly right to me, her face tilted towards mine, those arms reaching out for me. As our living children held her hands and marveled at her bare feet, I traced the word “hope” with my finger. We examined her a parent does a newborn babe, counting her toes and looking into her eyes.

Joseph Keen, age four, crawling all around her, bumped his head On one of her wings. Though they look fluffy as a cloud, the clang told us they are not. He wailed, “I wish that angel didn’t have wings!”

That’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it? We all have cried out at some point, wishing those angels didn’t have wings, that they only flew high in our arms. And yet, look at the dreams they have inspired, the hopes they have nurtured , the acts they have prompted because they do indeed have wings.

I whispered to myself, to my children, “if you can’t be with me, my angels, then take on wings and fly!……until I am with you again.”

"Look to This Day"
Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde

"A JuBELLation Benediction"
St. Luke's Presbyterian Church Festival Ringers and Music Makers

(The ringing of the bells seemed like heaven opening its arms to us. Much comfort came from them.)

Short Walk to Angel Site (less than a half of a mile)

We remember our special children and reflect that the garden is a place of comfort where we can remember and honor these children. Our children and their gifts will be forever in our hearts.

*Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Betty and Jack Clontz, Grandparents of Nicole, Polly and Joe Keen (SHARE Atlanta Parents and Designers of Garden)

*Laying of flowers
If you did not bring a flower to place by the angel, extras have been provided for you along the way. Feel free to return to the garden after everyone has left their flowers.

*SHARE's Keepsake Gift
Please pick up your keepsake book, bookplate, bookmark after the dedication ceremony

The Story of SA's Angel Garden & Memorial Bricks

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