Wave of Light 2025

Dear friends and family,

It’s that time of year again. The Wave of Light has become a special tradition for our family to remember Louie and other little ones who are no longer with us. October 15 is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Remembrance Day, observed through the International Wave of Light. We invite you to light a candle (or send “light” thoughts or prayers) from 7–8 p.m. in your local time zone in honor of all the little ones who are gone too soon.

In the grief journey, life after loss is filled with many triggers - some expected and many unexpected. One of my first unexpected moments came while watching Tangled. Confession: I owned this movie before I had kids (yes, a semi #disneyadult 🙋🏻‍♀️). I remember putting it on one afternoon while I was still on leave, and there was a seemingly ordinary scene at the end when Rapunzel went in for a family hug. In that moment, I was utterly gutted - hit by the realization that I would never experience a family hug, a family photo, a whole family moment together.

It’s now been over a decade since Louie skipped this world and went straight to heaven. The big waves of grief come less often now, though they still rise up from time to time. Recently, I experienced an unexpected and deeply special “whole family” moment during our annual family photos. The day took place at the beach, and we spent the morning simply playing and having fun. 

Some of you might know our small ritual of writing Louie’s name in the sand and watching it wash away- a fleeting moment that somehow feels fitting for his short life. While the kids were being photographed, I moved to the side and wrote Louie’s name in the sand. Our photographer noticed and, in a quiet act of grace, captured it. It wasn’t a full family hug, but it felt whole - like a small way to honor him and bring him into the heart of our joy.

(📷 by Anita Barcsa)

For those of you who have loved ones nearby, I hope you share a full family hug because the ordinary can be so precious. And for those of us missing someone we love, I hold you in my heart and will light a candle in remembrance of the brightness of love. 💛