Grieving

This is a hard post to write. As I’m writing it I’m not even sure if I will even post it. And I’m sorry if I’m all over the place because of it. But this week my family is suffering from loss. My little cousin, who is one years old, was shot and has passed away. I won’t go into the details, but it is just tearing us all apart.

Death. It’s hard even for the strongest of people. Even when you have time to grasp it. But for something like this, when it’s sudden. When it’s someone so young. It’s tragic. I wish we could stop it. Turn back time. Keep it from happening.

I am so heartbroken over this news. She was so young. She had so much life to live. Such a happy and precious soul. I’m heartbroken because I still haven’t had the chance to meet this cousin in person. Our family is large and are still trying to navigate family gatherings with COVID. I’m heartbroken because of all of the memories that have been snatch from our family.

She was only a few months younger than my daughter, and they are the only girls in this age group in our family currently. With Thanksgiving just right around the corner, I was imagining them meeting for the first time. And seeing them playing together, making mischief. Both girls have very similar personalities, so I just knew they were going to be instant best friend cousins.

I know this is so selfish to think. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s just part of grieving. Maybe it’s what grieving is?

But I’m not thinking of just me. My whole family. We’re all grieving those missed moments. The ones in the past. The ones in the future.

I can only imagine (and I know that I still probably can’t even guess to what extent) what my cousin, the baby’s mom, is going through. She lost her child. Her only daughter. She is having to lay her baby to rest. And on top of that, she’s being charged with man slaughter. Which is resulting in all of her children being taken from her.

My aunt is taking in the three surviving children. Grieving the loss of her granddaughter. Processing all that happened; leading up to the event and the current events. All the mental, physical, and financial adjustments that goes along with taking in three additional children.

For my aunt, for my family, I want to help raise some funds to help. If you’re able, I am holding a fundraiser to help with the funeral cost.

Did you know:
The average funeral cost is between $7,000 and $9,000, with the median cost being $7,360.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/average-funeral-cost-by-state

Any remaining will go to my aunt and the three boys. I’m not sure what their needs are at this time as this is all still pretty sudden.

What you get: Boxed set of 30 (Holiday Card Collection Box includes 50) beautifully embellished cards with matching envelopes for $30+ taxes. If you are local, I will deliver the boxes to you in person for free. But if you prefer to have them shipped, they will be shipped in a flat rate box for an additional $16.10.

What the family gets: $16 per box sold. This is including my commission.