As president of the Saanich Legacy Foundation I often get asked which of the causes we support have the most meaning to me. Although it is difficult to name just one, it is the Little Spirits Garden that I connect with the most.
Before heading to the gardens to present our most recent donation to Royal Oak Burial Park, I was overwhelmed by a memory from my past, a memory I haven’t thought of in years, nor shared with anyone outside of my immediate family. My father was away on business, and it was just my mom and I watching a cartoon about a young reindeer proving to his community that it is our differences that can unite us and make us stronger.
As I lay on my parents’ bedroom floor, my mom began to cry. As a young child I could not comprehend why my mother, a strong-willed independent person, was crying while watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. She wasn’t crying because of Rudolph’s perseverance, she was crying because days before, she had experienced a loss of pregnancy.
Experiencing a loss of pregnancy, or baby, is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult experiences that a parent, and family, can endure. There are no words to explain the depth of despair that a parent goes through when attempting to understand the shift that occurs when all hopes and expectations suddenly dissipate. The experience leaves the affected family with lifelong wounds. The thought of what could have been will remain with my family forever.
This is why the Little Spirits Garden, the only place of its kind in Canada, is a special place for me. I am extremely proud that SLF has contributed over $110,000 to help create a place for families like mine to find comfort. Comfort in knowing they are not alone.
The wounds will never fully heal, but because of the Little Spirits Garden families can find peace.
I encourage all families with a similar story to reach out to ROBP, when they feel ready, to learn more about this special place.
Kodi Gibson, president
Saanich Legacy Foundation