Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep ~ The Angel Pendant

Emma - My Sleeping Angel by Jen Bonds ~ Photography by Stacy's Creations Photography Copyright 2010

“Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth; Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep” ~John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Every day we receive inspiring and touching updates, testimonials, stories and tributes by those touched by our Angel Pendant and requests from those who want to send the gift of caring, love or hope to a special person in their life. I would like to share with you a wonderful story of how The Angel Pendant came to affect the lives of some very special ‘Angels’.

Our story begins with an introduction to a wonderful organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep that have ‘Angels’ (professional photographers) who volunteer their time and efforts to photograph sweet babies who were either born sleeping or who passed shortly after birth.  As a non-profit organization, these volunteer photographers are called upon when a family experiences the loss of an infant and they offer their services free of charge to supply photographs of these “Sleeping Babies”.

Stacy Hayward is a professional photographer Stacy’s Creations Photography and has  been volunteering her time to this organization for 2.5 years and states “I get as much out of these sessions as the families do and for that, I am grateful”.  Stacy believes that every single life matters, no matter how brief and capturing an image of that precious life with an intimate and touching photograph is of huge importance to the families who have experienced such a loss.

Emma born sleeping "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" Stacy's Creations Photography

Stacy is one of those true angels and she shared her story with us.  Stacy met a young woman, Jen Bonds, when her sweet ‘Angel’ Emma was stillborn on February 3, 2010. She took these very touching photos of Jen’s sleeping baby, Emma, and these two women instantly developed a very close friendship.

In one of those remarkable sequence of events, Jen, after the birth of her second daughter, Ella, (who was born premature at 26 weeks and weighing only 2 lbs, 5 oz)  had the chance opportunity (although we like to believe, it was not chance at all, but rather angels at work) to meet Max and Kayley Galarneau at Toronto Sick Kids Hospital this past summer.  The Galarneau’s were also at Sick Kids Hospital as their infant baby Cohen was born with a rare disorder called gastroschisis.  To complicate matters, when Ella was one month old she developed Necrotizing Entercolitas (NEC) and had to spend time in the intensive care unit of Sick Kids. For Jen, this was very scary time to think she might lose another baby.

Ella ~ Then and Now

Baby Cohen Galarneau wearing The Angel Pendant

Jen noticed The Angel Pendant that Kayley was wearing and fell in love with it immediately. She was inspired to learn more it when she noticed that Max and Kayley’s entire family were also wearing our Angel Pendants and learned how we had helped the family with their journey at Sick Kids. As it so often happens when Angels are involved, it was no surprise that these two woman were destined to meet.

For Jen, she felt an Angel Pendant of her own would be a symbolic gift to represent her baby girls; especially extra meaningful as it would allow her to stay connected to her ‘sleeping baby’, Emma.  Close friends often share inspirations together, so it was no surprise that Jen shared with Stacy from NILMDTS about The Angel Pendant and how much it would mean to her to have one of her own. Stacy, being the true angel that she is, contacted us and ordered the beautiful Heart Ribbon Angel Pendant for Jen as a surprise  birthday gift to celebrate and cherish both her sleeping baby Emma and her newest child Ella.

When Jen received her Angel Pendant, she shared with us how much this wonderful gift meant to her.  In her own words,

“The Angel Pendant for me will symbolize that I am a Mommy to an Angel, and that I have an Angel at home too.  I have been looking for over a year now for the perfect necklace that would “represent” Emma and now for my miracle, Ella.  The Angel Pendant is it! Furthermore, Jen stated that it was the best birthday gift ever, and she now feels complete! x0x0”

For us, we are touched that Jen has three beautiful Angels including a happy 3 year old Ethan, a thriving now healthy 7 month old Ella and her sleeping Angel, Emma. Jen is now connected in spirit and in friendship, to many other Angels in our rapidly growing community of those who give and receive The Angel Pendant.

Quotes like this one from Luciano de Crescenzo sums it so very well “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another”

Please join us in our movement to celebrate, embrace and hold each and every person connected to Our Angel Community in a safe, loving and spiritual place.