Theo’s Love Notes

Embrace the Void

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

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Theodore my sweet little boy,

This past week has been so busy. I feel like it has been an incredibly long time since I have written to you, yet I speak to you all the time and you are forever on my mind.

We had Easter last weekend, your first Easter and our first Easter with you in our hearts. The day was beautiful. It was warm and sunny. I could feel you near. It wasn’t a heavy feeling but rather it was warm and comforting.

Your brother was born on Easter Sunday 3 years ago. This year was such a different day for me. I spent time reflecting on the day Jack was born. He was a gift that your Dad and I were and are forever grateful for. I love remembering the day he was born. My labour was days long and he was born by c-section. The minute my eyes made contact with his was a moment I will never forget. My heart grew in a way I didn’t know it could. I had no idea that in an instant you could be forever changed and in such a positive way.

As the kids ran around the yard looking for eggs, my arms felt empty. I should have been holding you in a carrier or a ring sling while recording the kids with my phone. The video should have had your little noises in the background or showed a glimpse of you, had you been sleeping. But it didn’t. I feel the void, I see you missing from our life. I will always see you missing from our physical world.

Jack turned 3 on Thursday. He came home from preschool to presents waiting to be opened. He was so excited and so appreciative. “Wow thank you Mommy! This is awesome” he exclaimed. Patrick was equally excited as his brother opened gifts from family and friends.

Yesterday we celebrated Jack with our friends and all the little people in our life. It was a beautiful relaxed day. Yet again you weren’t there. At one moment I stopped, looked around the room, listening to the children playing and thought about you, thought how much you would have loved to have a party for you one day, how you would have been such great a friend to all these children and how much you are missed. The void that has been created touches every aspect of our life. It is impossible to simply enjoy the beautiful moments of life without feeling you missing.

I watch your brother Patrick and how gentle and loving he is with little babies. As I watch I see what an amazing big brother he would have been. It breaks my heart knowing he will never be one.

The void is vast. It can’t be filled. The beauty in the void means you matter, you lived, you are loved and will be forever remembered. As much as the void hurts I wouldn’t have it any other way. You are my forever son, my love for you will never cease to exist.

Your forever loving Mommy

 

Mid party break

I Wasn’t Expecting This

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

  
My sweetest Theodore,

I wasn’t expecting this. I wasn’t expecting to feel a heart so full of love yet so shattered. My heart is like an infinity pool with my love pouring through the cracks and yet is always full. I wasn’t expecting to have my love for you deepen and grow even after we said our final goodbyes. I am not sure why but I assumed the level of my love when we parted ways was where it would always remain. But that isn’t how it works when you are a Mother. A Mother’s love will grow, deepen and evolve as the days pass. Just because you are no longer here with me, I am and always will be your Mom and will continue to Mother you just the same. My heart only knows you as my precious son Theodore, it holds love for you no different than Jack or Patrick so it only makes sense that this love would be continually growing. 

I wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t expecting that as my love grew so would my sorrow. It hurts so much. I want you back. I have a hard time imagining a lifetime without you. I am not sure how my heart keeps beating when it is so broken. I am so scared, I feel so fragile, there is no way I could endure anymore heartache yet the possibility is real. 

There was a time in my life when I thought forever was a really long time. I met your Dad and fell in love, I then realized forever will never be long enough. Now here I am, on one hand my forever won’t be long enough when it comes to Ryan, Jack or Patrick. Then there is you and the past 105 days without you have been the longest hardest days of my life. To think I have to live my forever without you seems too much to bare.  

Being a Mom is such a hard job. It was a job I desperately wanted and I am so grateful I was chosen. I feel so blessed I have 3 beautiful boys who wanted me to be their Mom. I knew this job wasn’t going to be an easy one, but nothing prepares a person to Mother a child who no longer walks among us. I want to tuck you into bed, I want to kiss your face, I want desperately hold you. I want to physically do all the things that show love, but instead I can only do these things in my mind and send you my love from a distance. The foundation of Motherhood is love. There is no question my heart and life has an abundance. 

Today, I am simply going to feel your absence. I am going to ride the wave of heartache and when the sun rises tomorrow I pray it brings a little peace. 

I love you Theodore. There is no doubt about that. I miss you from every fibre in my body. I am desperately longing for you. 

I look forward to seeing you again. My love will continue to grow until we reach the end of my forever. 

Your forever loving Mommy 

Thank you for the reminder. 

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

Theodore my love,

Today was a beautiful day, at least it turned out to be one. I woke up after a night full of dreams / nightmares about so many people I loved loosing their babies. It was a feeling that was hard to shake after I woke up and realizing that it was only a dream.

Your brothers were being their challenging selves this morning. They are little, they have needs and they have no patience and I don’t expect them to. Normally because of you I am a better Mom. A Mom who wants to give so much love and pour my heart and soul into my boys. I want them to feel all the love I was able to give you for those short few months. But there are days that because of you, because of how deeply sad I feel my ability to be that Mom falls short and I find myself so far from that. I can lack patience, even raise my voice at times and I hate myself for it. You would be so disappointed in me. I don’t strive for perfection, never have and never will. Perfect isn’t a way I want live. I just want to be the best version of me that I can be. When I know I could have done better, I feel it. I feel it deeply especially when it comes to my boys. My husband and my sons are my world and feeling like I fell short is an uncomfortable place to be.

We went to a play group as it was a rainy morning and we needed to get out of our house. The boys had so much fun and I was able to regroup. We went for a drive after and as the boys slept I thought about you, and wondered what your lesson is after a morning like this. The sun came out, the drive was beautiful and I started to feel some peace, feeling a sense of calm.

We ended the drive with a visit to you. As we pulled in Jack asked what we were doing. I told him “we are visiting Theodore”. He replies “me too Mommy? And Bo too?” I say “of course” and with a huge amount of excitement he yells “Yes! Yay Theodore”. In that moment my heart exploded with love. I love hearing your name spoken from Jack. It is the sweetest sound my ears could ever hear. We walk down to where your stone lays, the sun is shining, the bay is no longer frozen and the is water glistening. It was simply beautiful. Jack runs up to your stone, then as he is standing looking at it with such a big smile, he leans down and touches it ever so softly. It was a hello and I love you with a soft touch that lingered.

We stayed there for about 25 minutes or so. The boys ran all over, they were jumping over your stone, they were running circles around it, and at times they simply stood looking at it while holding each other’s hand. It was a brief moment in time when they could include you in their love for each other and their play. When it was time to leave Jack made sure to walk over to your stone, lean down and while touching it said goodbye.

I so badly want you to be earth side with us. You would be so happy with these two brothers. The amount of love they have is something I haven’t seen before. They hug and kiss each other more than many married couples in a day. They are so blessed to have a sibling as a best friend, one they would choose if given an option. They aren’t perfect, but they aren’t raised to strive for perfection, they are raised to choose love and they are amazing at it!

Our day ended with Jack super excited to tell Ryan about his day which started with “Daddy I saw Theodore today”! With so much excitement, pride and love.

Your lesson was just a reminder, take a deep breath and simply choose love. When it is hard, then I need to give even more love. . . and maybe I need to flow some of that love back toward myself.

You are missed, you are loved, and forever on my mind and in my heart. Like every second, of ever minute, of every hour, of every day.

Your forever loving Mommy.

I love the way you work 

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

  
Hey Snuggles 

So I just need to Thank you, once again I have felt a shift. I know you are always near. You never feel far from me. I was so incredibly sad last Monday. I had bought you two gifts and wanted to place them at your stone. When I arrived it was frozen over. 

I had so many emotions. I had moments of anger. Had you been buried a row over either way I would have been able to see where your stone lays and able to place the gifts. It felt like a sick joke. I had moments of sadness, knowing I was going to a baby shower for a wonderful friend who is due in a couple weeks and two other amazing friends would be there who recently had beautiful baby boys. The four of us were all supposed to have our baby boys together, I couldn’t be happier to be celebrating the new little man and spend time with the other two boys who have completely stollen my heart but I couldn’t help feel sad knowing that was the evening ahead of me and I couldn’t even see your grave. 

As I was driving, shedding tears of complete sadness feeling the weight of your loss my windshield wipers start to go. I checked to see if they were on auto and malfunctioned and of course they weren’t. It was you wiping the tears from your Mom’s eyes. I love when you show me how close you really always are to me. 

Tonight as I was setting the table for dinner, I stop and held the rock I had bought for you and touched the elephant. I started to think of when this week I would be able to go and place them since it has been raining so much and I realized what a blessing it has been to have these gifts in our home before bringing them to you. Every day at least a few times a day, I stop and hold your rock, I trace the word LOVE that is engraved in it and touch your elephant. I now know this is the gift, the gift will carry my energy, and they will have spent time with us which makes these gifts that much more meaningful. In fact they have sat on our table since I brought them home, it is like you are with us at every meal. 

I love the way you work. I love the lessons you teach me. I love the way in which the lessons are delivered. Thank you my love. I couldn’t be more proud to be your Mom. I feel so incredibly blessed. 

You are my Forever Son, Theodore

Your forever loving Mommy. 

Only a Lifetime or more. . .

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

Theodore my dearest love,

I am here. I came as I promised. Your foot stone is filled with ice and snow. I can’t see you. My heart is breaking. I can’t place my gifts I just brought for you. There is hardly any snow around you but where you lay is filled and it is so hard I can’t clear it off. I now wish we would have picked a stone that stood up. I didn’t foresee this problem when we picked it out. I am so sorry.

The day is grey, my heart is heavy, and the lake is frozen just as your grave. I want to wake up from this nightmare. I truly can’t be visiting my son at a gravesite can I? This isn’t for real is it? Lord have mercy on my soul and be gentle with my fragile heart. . .

I love you Theodore. I love you and miss you in unimaginable ways. Some say I just need time, time to get over you, my loss and the grief I feel. I do need time but unfortunately there isn’t enough time in this lifetime. Should we not meet again in our next life my heart will carry the loss with me through that life as well. I will miss you until I see you again and then will continue to miss all the time we lost. This isn’t something that will go away, it is now my new normal. So to sum it up, anyone who knows me will never live to see the day that I am over this. It just won’t happen.

I often wonder if you miss us too? Do you see us and wish you were here in the physical world? Do ever wish you had a bit more time with us? Do you long to be held, just like I long to hold you? Do you wish it was different? I know there is purpose and it is this way for a reason but does your heart feel what mine feels even though we know it can’t be changed? A part of me hopes you do, that is me being selfish and wanting you to want to be with us even though is wasn’t part of the journey. Then the bigger part of me would never want you to feel what my heart is feeling not even a tenth of it, as the pain is so overwhelming.

This past weekend your Grandparents were honoured as Guardian Angels for children in our area for their contributions that have helped children. It was a great night. We had so much fun with friends dancing the night away. I couldn’t help thinking about the fact had you lived we wouldn’t have gone, or at least I wouldn’t have. I would have been home with you and your brothers. Sad truth is I would have been at home slightly sad I was missing out, now what I wouldn’t have done to be home with you.

Life is all about perspective. I now see things that I can only long for and know had I had them I wouldn’t have had the appreciation to the degree it would deserve and maybe at times resented. Just another gift you have given me; clarity and appreciation. On occasion I feel myself annoyed by Jack and Patrick or even Ryan (yes he was created from two Angels but is no Saint 😉) and now I simply need to ask myself “how badly would I long for this should I lose them” and my feelings of annoyance disappear.

Theodore, I will be back this week as the weather is warming up so the snow and ice should be gone. My heart is forever yours.

Your forever loving Mommy 

 

Grateful for the Choice

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

Theodore my love,

So another Wednesday without you is in the process of rolling by. This morning the sun was shining bright, with a light dusting of snow on the ground and all seemed as it should. A great start to the day. As I found myself in the shower excited about the day I will be having with Jack and Patrick and thinking about what we should do, I quickly was reminded this day is another day without you.

The three of us went and met our friends at play group. It was wonderful. The boys had a blast. I met the cutest little boy, born only days before you. I felt paralyzed as I awkwardly stared at this perfect little baby boy. Why am I not holding you as you sleep today? I could see how this baby had grown since birth and reminded me how much time has passed since we said our goodbyes.

Today I am feeling the bumps, these moments that stop me in my tracks. I am choosing to love you, to not let my heart run away with longing for all that we are missing. I know you are with us, you show me all the time.

I have realized the difference in different days and how some days I have a choice. I can become lost in grief or I can choose to move forward with my day, having love in my heart and you on my mind but not allowing myself to be swallowed up with all that could have been. I also have days that the choice is there, but feeling the deep grief for you is what I want and it feels right. Then there are the days the choice is made for me and no matter what I want I am in it and can’t get myself out. All of these days are just a reflection of how deep my love runs for you. It is a love that is pure and every changing but never weakening.

Because of you, I have strength to make these choices and live with the days the choice is made for me. Your brothers will be forever grateful for you. They know when I am sad. They know Theodore brings tears to Mommy’s eyes and they know how deeply my love for you runs. They also appreciate having a Mom who when given the choice will choose to be happy and experience the joy of their lives. I know that life on earth is still evolving and being present with them is what they need. 

You sure knew what you were doing when you chose these two boys as brothers! They have the ability to know when I need extra love and provide it, all the while being their crazy fun loving selves which always brings nothing but joy.

Thank you my love, another lesson is understood. You are my greatest teacher. I appreciate you, your teachings and the love we share. My son you are so blessed.

Until I see you again,
Your loving Mommy

Waiting on the Sun to Rise 

~ Allyson Williams ~ 1 Comment

Dearest Theodore,

My heart is heavy, I feel like loss surrounds me. My heart hurts for those who feel the weight of loosing a person they love. True love that is held deep in your heart doesn’t recognize the age of the person, the amount of time spent together, and what they have or haven’t accomplished in their life. The heart only knows you love them and the rest doesn’t matter. The more you love the heavier the loss.

There was a time, actually most of my life until recently when I truly felt that happiness wasn’t hard to find. My perspective was one that if you weren’t happy, then simply be present and look around. By doing so you will notice the little things that bring joy to people. I am more present than ever, I live moment to moment as my days roll on. For a couple weeks I was feeling as if those years were a lie. Of course I could easily find happiness, I hadn’t had a tragedy that ever shook me to my core, and I never lost something that I desperately wanted back with nothing I could do to change it. So Ya it was easy. I realized today that happiness is still easy to find, it is the lens we view the world through that can be hard to change.

Theodore my love how do I change this lens on days when I feel like the only thing that will bring me peace is you? When my longing for you is so powerful, my tears can’t be stopped? When the bricks can’t be lift from my chest and I feel like putting one foot before the other is a task too big? How my love, my greatest teacher?

Many days I can put life into perspective and changing this lens is doable. Then there are the days that it seems like the only option is to surrender to my reality, and hope as the sun rises in the morning it will bring a whole new set of emotions and ones that are easier to see the joy and happiness around us.

I love you Theodore. Today, I will simply surrender and wait.

Your forever loving Mommy.

We will visit soon. . . 

~ Allyson Williams ~ 1 Comment

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Theodore my love.

I can’t believe how life has gone back to normal around us. I feel like the world is still turning at the regular consistent speed, yet mine has three speeds it can be standing still, turning backwards or crawling forward. How can I let my world turn at rate it did before, the weight of your loss is so heavy it would seem impossible to have that momentum again. Frankly I am not sure I ever want to live at the speed again.I feel guilty we haven’t visited you graveside for awhile. It is such a beautiful spot and I do want to be there. I feel like you aren’t there anyway. Your remains are but your spirit is busy doing God’s work. You seem to be showing up everywhere lately for me. I am always grateful when you do even if I am visible thrown off a bit. Please meet at the grave when we do go. ❤️

I love you my Dear Theodore. My heart screams for your love, and my arms ache to hold you.

If you were healthy you probably would have been born this week sometime. It is hard to think I could have a newborn baby right now. Your brothers would love it if we did. They would be so good to you. I can see them both pushing you in the swing way too hard and me having to tell them both to be gentle over and over again. They would bring you toys you couldn’t play with and try to feed you food you can’t eat yet. It would all be out of love, just as Jack did all these things when Ditty was a baby.

Love you, forever my angel.

Your loving Mommy

Your Due Date

~ Allyson Williams ~ 1 Comment

welcome

Happy Due date Theodore!

Today is the day our medical world predicted you might be born. Not that any of my boys have every been born close to their due date.

I was talking to Michelle the other day about how I felt conflicted with the significance of this day for us. I felt like it should be significant but isn’t since it would never have been a date you would have been born on.

Well, you clearly were listening. Born today was a little boy named Fitzgerald, birthed in the Don Williams birthing suite, named after your Great Grandfather.  Our dear friends Jess and Jeff were not due for another couple weeks. I was shocked to get the text but happened to be at the hospital that morning and had the honour to be the first person to meet this sweet angel only hours after he was born. I know this is no coincidence, and instantly this day holds enormous significance.

To say I was shocked is probably an understatement. I felt I was in an alternate universe. I had so many emotions. The most prominent emotion was love and joy for our dear friends and the new sweet angel Fitz but there were other emotions as well. I was scared, how would I ever see Fitz and not think of you, and all what should have been. I then realized that it was okay to feel this way and I didn’t need to be scared. I think of you every second of every day anyway, and I am not wanting to forget you ever. You will always live on in my heart forever. I also felt envious of Jess being so blessed to be holding a perfect new baby. Those feelings passed quickly, they serve no purpose, and choosing love is what will make my heart feel lighter and highlight the true blessing this situation truly is.

Ultimately, I know this was you, you doing God’s work and, making it perfectly clear that you are here with me. I know you will take care of me I just need to keep trusting this journey. It was no accident that Fitz chose this day. I am sure together you and Fitz agreed today was the perfect day to be born. I couldn’t agree more.

You are my greatest teacher. Thank you.

I love you. I am celebrating you and our new friend Fitz today.

Your loving Mommy

 

Valentines Day

~ Allyson Williams ~ Leave a comment

valentine

Teddy will you be my Valentine?

Happy Valentines Day my love! The sweetest gift of all would be a kiss from you. Instead I hold you in my heart and on my mind all day today. We spent most of the day at the Cooke’s cottage surrounded by amazing friends. It really was a great weekend as always. I felt your presence missing, like you just weren’t there. Not in the obvious way but in a way a person who feels an itch after their leg has been amputated.  I couldn’t let go of the feeling that you were intend to be with us there, the void was notable.  You are my son and I shouldn’t be celebrating family day without you.

Today I was holding baby William telling Bo and Jack that he was Lauren’s baby brother. Jack then told us he has two baby brothers. He sure does, and in his heart today he was missing you. He is so young yet he knows. It must be the time you spent in Ottawa together. I would love to know how your connection grew in those few months. I love the sound of your name when spoken by others but nothing makes my heart sing so loudly as when it rolls off Jack’s tongue.

I love you and am missing you today. I miss you always. Pretty much every second of every day.

Your Valentine, Mommy