Make a treasured memorial table out of an old piano bench.

Who: Chris, Scarlett, 4 boys(Sage, Sam, Stone, and Slade) and 1 girl(Sophie) Scarlett’s mother Vickie and aunt Susan

 What:  A memorial table for our sweet baby girl Sophie, born sleeping August 29, 2012 due to a true knot in umbilical cord

Why: To create something beautiful in honor of our baby girl we never got to meet, to have something tangible to look at and talk with and admire, to feel the pain, to release, to fellowship with family, to remember, to just be in the moment.

How: We got an antique piano bench(my mom purchased in Texas where we used to live), my mom painted it white, we all wrote Sophie notes, printed out meaningful scriptures, a copy of her footprints and measurements, cut-outs of cards received, scrapbook paper.  The boys all drew pictures, wrote poems, and decorated her name in different designs(some were  zebra-print). We cut out letters in the scrapbook paper to spell out Sophie. We also used very “girly” stickers. We took all of these items, placed them on with craft adhesive (Modge Podge). Be sure to do each layer in steps and let it dry before moving on, this gives it the layered look. Also, want to put a couple of coats for extra protection.  The piano bench lid opens up, so on the inside, we painted it bright pink.  We are also able to keep all of Sophie’s special items, such as, blanket, dried flowers, cards, hat, pictures, a tiny bear.

We could not go through this storm without our God, our family, and our friends………..

Note from Sophie’s grandmother: I cannot take credit for the Sophie table. I give that glory to our Lord. I had been praying about what I could do to help Scarlett and family, not hinder their grieving. In the middle of the night, that antique piano bench that I bought on an Amarillo trip with them came to my mind. I got up and started painting it that night. The next morning, I grabbed my pretty papers and supplies and started arranging them. I had some sympathy cards people had sent me that week so I cut out some parts of them. As I worked on the table, it occurred to me(God thought) that this could be one of the projects the boys and I could do when my sister and I traveled to see them. The day we worked on the table was one of the most “at peace” days we had.

We cried and laughed over the items we made to go on the table. As we sat there working together, details for the memorial service worked their way into our conversation. Once again, God spoke to me and suggested we take the table to the service and ask people to sign in memory of Sophie. From my experiences in the classroom, I know ownership of a project helps students to learn and feel pride and joy in a project. Based on the joy we received from this project, working as a family on any healing project will be a blessing to those grieving.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20