Honoring Loved Ones
The holiday season is a wonderful time to connect with your loved ones and to remember the ones that are no longer with us. We wanted to share Maker Diana F.'s gift this holiday season to honor her fiancé with MyIntent and #AdventToRemember.
In her own WORDs:
#AdventToRemember is a project aimed at anyone grieving over Christmas and missing a loved one – whoever that may be. It was started by a family who lost their son at birth. I heard about the project on Twitter and knew it was something I wanted to try in order to give myself something to look forward to during December, as I was missing Andrew, my fiancé who passed away in August 2020.
Follow her Advent to Remember journey on her YouTube Channel
When I started Advent To Remember, my first goal was to soften the time before Christmas when I was missing Andrew so much. At a time when I’d rather not get out of bed and just wish the month away, I needed something to keep me going and also to celebrate the things I loved about Andrew, the things he loved, and our life together. My goal in sharing my project is to share those things with my friends and family so they can learn more about Andrew and our life together.
My WORD is CARE - to remind myself to care for myself, the way Andrew would have, and to extend that care to others when I can. When attending the MyIntent Maker training in November, Annie, MyIntent's Content Manager who leads the trainings, answered a frequently asked question- "What if someone wants a name stamped on their bracelet?" Of course, as Makers we can stamp whatever someone would like on their bracelet, but Annie recommended we guide the requester to think about what it is about that person that inspires them? I took this to heart, as I really thought my WORD was ANDREW because I miss him so much. But, I asked myself, what do I miss most about Andrew? I miss how he cared for me and how he cared for others.
On Day 1 of my Advent project, I decided to finally put my WORD onto a bracelet and to extend CARE to others. I offered to stamp a bracelet for anyone who would like one - no catch, no cost. Just a way to care for others. In the first 15 days of December, I have stamped over 30 bracelets.
Diana and her fiancé Andrew
My favorite part of being a MyIntent Maker is being able to create a one-of-kind item for someone with whatever WORD they choose that inspires and motivates them. One of my family members struggles with anxiety and the situation with COVID-19 has amplified her worries, especially regarding working with the public at this time. She has not been working since March, and although she feels she should get a job, she is having difficulty feeling comfortable with the concept of being around others and possibly getting infected with the coronavirus or passing it on to others without knowing. She chose the phrase YOU CAN to wear as a reminder that when the time is right, she can re-enter the workforce and still has a lot to offer society.
Diana’s Maker Pro-Tip: I find it helpful to lay out all of the letter stamps before I begin, and have all of the stamps facing the same way, so they are ready to pick up and stamp. I found this method leads to less errors and is an efficient way to organize my supplies.