Memory
Boxes at MISS Minnesota
Editor's Note - A
story ran in the Echo Press
about the MISS Chapter in
Minnesota doing a memory
box project. Heidi forwarded
that story to me and I asked
her to write me a bit about
the project to share with
all our Kota readers. Here's
the scoop:
Question:
Are you doing this memory
project as part of Tera
Leigh's memory box project?
Heidi:
It's funny that you should
mention Tera Leigh and her
memory box project. I found
her on the internet after
Natalie died, (almost 3
years ago now), I was searching
for something to hold Natalie's
things. I was almost obsessed
with finding the "perfect"
container, it couldn't be
ordinary, it had to be beautiful.
I searched endlessly not
finding anything that I
thought was "right".
Then I saw Tera's boxes
and knew they were exactly
what I was looking for.
I wrote Marie Gemmel and
asked her if I could possibly
purchase a box and described
why it was so important
to me. Shortly afterwards
Tera wrote to me and said
she was in the process of
painting me a box and refused
any payment. I was amazed
and touched beyond words
at the generousity and kindness
of a complete stranger.
It was one donation that
I couldn't refuse.
I have the most lovely pale
yellow large oval box with
pink and blue roses, vines,
yellow ribbon and it says,
"in an instant, you
touched our hearts forever"
on the top. Inside, her
name is printed inside a
heart of roses and vines.
Obviously, the box is enormously
important to me.
I had inquired about getting
the boxes to our local hospital
but we don't have a bereavement
program so we didn't qualify.
Question: So what are the details of your project?
Heidi:
I have thought about organizing
something similar in our
area for the past 2 years.
Then the funeral home approached
me with a picture from a
California newspaper about
a very similar program,
with the same type of boxes.
I was thrilled to be working
with them on this project
and we planned to have the
mothers do the basic painting
and the artists club to
do the final detailing.
I was in charge of pricing
the boxes and supplies.
At the next meeting the
women from the funeral home
told me that they had arranged
for much smaller wooden
boxes to be made by craftsmen
and the art club was going
to paint them. And they
refused to give any of their
wooden boxes to mothers
who have lost babies in
the past, including the
mothers in my group who
were looking forward to
participating.
Question: Oh, that's so sad! And wrong! So you have decided to do an alternate project through the Minnesota MISS Chapter?
Heidi:
To make a long story a bit
shorter, tonight at our
monthly meeting, we are
having a project night and
meeting at a local artists
workshop. The mothers will
be painting and creating
their own paper mache boxes
with the help of some volunteer
artists.
What a project this has
turned out to be! But you
understand, it's oh so important
and worth every bit of the
effort.
Question:
GREAT! So glad to hear you've
found a way to help ALL
the bereaved parents in
your area! Any other memory
project coming up next?
Heidi:
Now, I'm trying to figure
out the plan for making
the sachets [for the memory
boxes]....I'm determined
to make them smell like
baby lotion and have them
look as beautiful as the
boxes they are going into
and as the precious contents
they will hold.
It's always something!
About
the Interviewee:
Heidi Ciepielinski is the
Minnesota State Facilitator
for the MISS Foundation
where they offer free bereavement
support meetings on the
2nd Tuesday of each Month,
at 6:30 pm, at the First
Congregational UCC Church,
221 7th Ave. W. Alexandria,
MN 56360. Please be in touch
with the MISS Foundation
at www.missfoundation.org
for more information.
