I Will Love You Everywhere Always
Tom, losing a parent is hard for anyone…
But, think of how much more tragic and painful it must be for very young children who lose their parents… For children, parents are a security blanket, loving guides who interpret and help navigate the often confusing and less-than-friendly world…
Three years ago, 35 year-old Maleikka Hardy Williams realized her own children would likely face that daunting challenge… Williams –a leadership development professional, a former University of North Carolina Homecoming Queen, and a dedicated wife and mother of two young daughters– had been diagnosed with breast cancer…
She knew she was fighting for her life… but more significant than facing her own possible death was her concern for her little girls…
Williams agonized over the fact that she might not be there to hold their hands, tuck them into bed, hug them, and guide them into adulthood… She wanted her children to be okay, as any mother would…
Close friend, Renee Alexander-Craft–a poet, author and professor at UNC–watched Williams and her family battle with her illness… Williams and Alexander-Craft were longtime friends and schoolmates who were similar in many ways – similar hometowns, ages, colleges, successes and friendships…
But tragically, on April 14, 2008, these parallels ended as Maleikka Hardy Williams died of cancer at the young age of 35…
Her friend Alexander-Craft suffered a sense of profound loss… She spent sleepless nights wondering how William’s children would cope without their beloved mother…
Motivated by this, and by her childhood memories of losing her own grandmother, Alexander-Craft put her energies into developing a book for children dealing with loss and grief…
I WILL LOVE YOU EVERYWHERE ALWAYS is intended as a comforting reminder that the ones we love never truly leave us, and as a means to help children face their feelings and fears surrounding death…
It’s a book about the everyday places and events we can look to feel the enduring presence of the loved ones that have passed on, or as the author so eloquently puts it, in “a sibling’s smile, the smell of Sunday pancakes, or in the taste of snow cream…”
Alexander-Craft has joined with illustrator Cosmo Whyte to launch a campaign around the book …
The goal is to raise an initial $6000 to go toward the final development, publishing, promotion and distribution of I WILL LOVE YOU EVERYWHERE ALWAYS… about half of this has been raised so far…
Essential to the effort is the fact that the funds will allow the book to be made available to a variety of caregivers–schools, hospitals, hospice, and other organizations offering support services to those dealing with terminal illness– as an additional resource to guide children through the process of loss and healing…
For those of you who would like to offer your support to the campaign, or find out more about the book’s upcoming availability, there is a site devoted to such campaigns called indiegogo.com…
You can go there, and in the search engine just type in the words “Love Always” and the campaign will come up… OR you can go to Facebook and type in “I Will Love You Everywhere Always” for more info…
I’ll leave you with the words of the author, a poignant reminder that our loved ones never really leave us:
“I’ll hug you every time the wind blows, I’ll kiss your eyelids every time your eyes close…
…when you dance or sing or speak onstage, and bow to look your daddy’s way,
I’ll be the so-big smile on his mouth, I’ll be your Granny’s laughter and your best friend’s cheers and shouts;
Oh, baby, what I am trying to say
is that I will never leave you, I will love you everywhere…always.”
Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.
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