The death of a child. This surely must be a parent's darkest hour. But people have gone through this, survived and gone on to live rich, meaningful lives.
Christian's Beach is a website that offers solace to those who have lost children. After the death of their son, Christian, the website owners (CarlyMarie and Sam) struggled to make any sense of it.
Then one night, CarlyMarie dreamt she saw her son playing on the beach with some friends who had died. When she walked toward the group, they ran away but as she approached the spot where they had been playing, she looked down to see "Christian" written in the sand.
She decided to write his name for herself in the sand and then photograph it. Her family still gain much peace from seeing this picture in their home.
On the request of a grieving parent, she will write their child's name in the sand, on a gorgeous West Australian beach, and photograph it for them. Memorials can also be created.
I think it's one of the sweetest idea's I've heard for helping people come to terms with an extremely painful and unique form of grief. As Carly Marie writes, " It is a simple act that recognises a life."
An act that can give a sense of not only peace but something quite individually beautiful.
