NOTE: Daniel and Kelly speak to this question on Episode #18 of The Abel Speaks Podcast. You can listen on Apple, Spotify, or your app of choice.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Abel Speaks podcast where we speak to commonly asked questions by parents who have received a life-limiting diagnosis for their child. We’re Daniel and Kelly Crawford, and we’re glad that you’ve joined us. All right, friends, welcome back to the Abel Speaks podcast. We’re happy to be with you today, and we are going to tackle a topic that is about one of the services that we offer to our families. And so we’re going to answer the question, what keepsake items does Abel Speaks provide to the families that we serve? And so we’re going to walk through five of them over the next few minutes. And so Kelly, if you want to kick us off with the first keepsake item.
Speaker 2:
The first keepsake item that we offer is we offer photographs. We offer maternity photos, and we offer birth photography for the families that we have the honor of walking with. And that was just a really special part of our story. We had two different friends, one that offered to take maternity photos for us, and that was just really special because throughout the pregnancy we weren’t sure if we would have the opportunity to meet Abel alive, and so getting really nice photos taken of our family, a family of three, while he was alive and kicking in the womb, was just really special.
And then having photos of his birth and the few hours post-birth was and is such a gift. Just to get to look back on those and remember that time and get to see him and see videos of him during those first few hours is just a really sweet, sweet gift.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. So that is a service that we provide and in turn becomes a keepsake item that families get to keep and look back on and just remember forever. And so what is the second item that we provide?
Speaker 2:
The second one is we provide hand and foot molds. And so we partner with a company in Fort Worth called Cowtown Clay. And they ship out the molds to the families that we serve, and then the families get to send those back, and they put it in a really beautiful keepsake box for them that they can hang on their wall or put on their mantle. And it’s something that I had looked for for a really long time. We didn’t get to do that with Abel, and it’s something that I wish we would’ve done, and I’m glad that we get to provide that now for families that we get to walk with.
Speaker 1:
Yeah. And great products as far as, if you knew nothing about them and just fell upon their website, it speaks for itself. Cowtownclay.com. But just the people that run it have just been amazing to work with and just really supportive of our mission. And so that will be the second product. The first was photography, maternity and birth photos. The second was clay molds to capture handprints and footprints. What would be the third keepsake?
Speaker 2:
The third keepsake, which was really one of the first ones that I had the idea of, I guess, is a keepsake box. And so when we were pregnant with Abel and after having him, we were given a bunch of boxes that were really kind and useful in some ways. But I wanted to create something that felt really special and really beautiful. And so we created a wooden box that has the baby’s name engraved on it, and then we put very specific items inside the box that is tailored towards each baby. We have a blanket with the baby’s name monogrammed, a necklace with the baby’s letter, a Bible with the baby’s name on it, and then some resources that we found particularly helpful during that season.
Speaker 1:
And quick shout-out to Amanda Olivera, on our team, who took Kelly’s vision and concept and just brought it to life to create something really just more aesthetically beautiful than we could have ever really even hoped. And so-
Speaker 2:
And getting to just put any meaningful items from the season with your child, whether that was a hat that they wore or a blanket that they used or the bands from the hospital that they wore; whatever that is, being able to have a really beautiful place to store all of that and revisit, whenever feels helpful or something that you want to do, is just a sweet thing to have in your home.
Speaker 1:
Those are the first three keepsake items. We got photography, we’ve got clay molds, we’ve got a keepsake box. Take us to the last two. What’s number four?
Speaker 2:
Number four is a canvas that we created that says, “Through Faith…” And then we insert the baby’s name. So it says, “Through Faith Abel Still Speaks.” And that just came from Hebrews 11:4 that we didn’t even really know was in the scriptures until Abel’s celebration of life, but really became a meaningful verse to our family; just that even though Abel had passed away, that his life still had value and meaning and was transforming our lives and the lives that he had touched.
And so we have a friend, Jocelyn, who made those for us, and we provide that for each family that we serve now, just as a reminder to hang up in their home, if their child does pass away, that they get to look at every day and be reminded that that life mattered and still matters.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, Modernly Rustic, you can find her stuff online as well. But yeah, our child’s name happened to match that biblical figure that is mentioned in that verse of Abel, which is where the name of the organization also came from. But that principle and that truth transcends, and it’s just been a sweet thing to sub in these different names and just see that truth displayed in a way that families have loved getting to put on their walls or just in some meaningful place. And so…
Speaker 2:
I would say to the box that we provide and the canvas that we provide are both available for purchase on our website. So if anyone listening to this is like, “Oh, I have a friend that,” even if their child had passed away a year ago or five years ago, it’s still a really meaningful gift to provide to people.
Speaker 1:
And so last but not least, as we move down the road in the journey and just come upon milestones, what is the fifth keepsake item?
Speaker 2:
Yes, the last one that we provide is we provide a birthday candle and a balloon that is a number, like a very large number one balloon, on the baby’s first birthday. And so we do that. For some of our families, they’re caregiving, and so their child is still alive, and so we get to send that candle, just a birthday candle, as a reminder that we’re thinking of them, celebrating their child’s life. And then we also send that to our families whose little ones have passed away, and just as a way to let them know that their child isn’t forgotten and it is worth celebrating. And so we do that on the first birthday, and then the second and third birthday, we just send the balloon that’s a number two or a number three for that birthday as well.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so a very high-level rundown of those five different keepsake items. You can hop online and see pictures of any given one of them to get better ideas, specifically the store page of the website. As Kelly said, the boxes and the canvases are on sale there as well. But all of these services are provided free of charge for the families that we serve and walk with. And so that wraps up this episode of the Abel Speaks podcast, and we will see you next time.
Hey friends, thanks for listening in. We hope this content has been helpful. At Abel Speaks, we exist to support families who have chosen to carry a child with a life-limiting diagnosis, and we want you to know that the foundation of that support is rooted in relationships. And so if you are a parent in this circumstance, then by all means, continue listening in, but we’d really encourage you to reach out by sending an email to support@abelspeaks.org. Again, our heartfelt prayer is that this episode has served you in some way and that we might have the opportunity to serve you further in the future. The Abel Speaks podcast is produced by the team at Tarnow and Company and mixed and edited by the team at Sound of a Rose.
