How It All Started…
Aaron passed on April 10, 2023. During the summer of 2023, Grace (names have been changed and in general, identities will be generalized by names such as Grace, Faith, Hope, Patience), the mom of a baseball player organized a brunch with the parents of some of our childrens’ friends. It was an effort to get me out of the house. Actually, it was probably more of an effort to get me to shower, change clothes, AND get out of the house and at least pretend to join the living. Grace and I never really were close. Just two moms involved with our boys’ lives. Grace had an inkling of what we were going through. Her nephew had taken his own life years ago and she witnessed the devastation that losing a child leaves behind. Grace wrapped her arms around me and let me cry, for as long as I needed.
July 2023: We met at the restaurant that we later labeled my husband and my support group. 8 moms shared a larger table for the moms and table for 4 for the dads. One of the attendees at the initial brunch was the mom of Aaron’s classmate. She brought a green glass heart for me and I still carry it with me every where I go. Green was Aaron’s favorite color. He was starting to get quotes to get his Tacoma painted. I had texted him a picture of a green Tundra the morning that he died. Even then he didn’t show any suicidal thoughts since he replied “yeah, something like that but more of a grass green”. The moms ranged from family to mom’s of teammates to just (and yes, I use just because at that time, that’s what we were) moms who shared pleasantries when we saw each other. I didn’t know how much I would come to rely on them or how much grace they shared by taking me under their solace.
At the 2nd such brunch outing, Hope, one of the most amazing mom’s that was just a mom the past few years asked what I wanted to do to honor Aaron. I had an idea. I remember our oldest playing in the Eden Prairie DECA Powder Puff event and had reached out to the school DECA leadership. For the school year, one of the student leadership officers was a childhood friend of Aaron’s. The friend was so receptive and empathetic. Actually, the whole student leadership team was. The Powder Puff Event allowed speakers and space for mental health awareness and support to be shared with attendees. DECA donated $3000 to The Grief Club of MN and graced the family with t-shirts for Huddle to Heal.
Hope, too, had already been thinking of this and had an idea. Hope casually mentioned that she worked with a company that had excess stock of household decorations and would I be up to selling it to raise funds for mental health awareness and grief support. My interest was piqued but my lethargy was stronger.
August-October 5, 2023: Fortunately, Hope brought up the excess inventory again at our next brunch in August 2023. That project took off. The pop-up garage sale in early October was the result of a hectic effort to go through hundreds of boxes in a dark, dank, empty restaurant with no rhyme or reason for the layout of the boxes in the building. That garage sale raised slightly over $1500 in one day’s sale to be contributed to local organizations and to help us continue raising awareness and support for mental.
October - Novermber 12, 2023: Coming soon…how we raised $25000+ for The Grief Club of MN and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
April 12, 2024: Trying to continue making an impact…coverage by Eden Prairie Local News.