Memorial Stolen

Here is a Letter to The Editor that I wrote on behalf of an acquaintance. It is a long shot, but I figured that you just never know who may be reading this blog. If anyone has any information regarding the stolen memorial angel, please send me an e mail. I have removed names in order to preserve privacy. It was a large concrete cast angel that sat on a bench (quite large). Memorial Stolen To lose a loved one is an experience of deep sadness. To memorialize your loved one is a profound and intimate action that facilitates healing the void left by sorrow. Our family was touched when friends made donations to help memorialize my mother "*****". We chose a fitting ornament for our garden which would remind us of the love and memories that we shared. We chose a sweet angel which sat upon on a bench that gazed across our country property. It was an appropriate reminder of the love and care which "***** *******" altruistically extended to our family and friends. Looking upon the memorial, our family was given comfort in our time of loss. We anticipated sharing the changing seasons with the angel on the bench. As the large figurine was heavy concrete, it would withstand cold bitter winters, or the hot sultry summers, or the seasons in between. We took consolation that the angel would look upon us when we were gardening or brushing soft snowflakes from our shoulders. Unfortunately, on the night of Wednesday, May 30th or early Thursday morning, May 31st, the angel was stolen. Be it a prank or be it a “want” of the selfish individual(s), the angel that gave such solace for a period of a week was stolen from it’s bench. At least one very strong person or a couple of people would have been implicated in the theft. The robbers would have had to walk up a large hill and carry it back down the hill gingerly in order to avoid twisting an ankle or some type of abrasion. The thieves perhaps, did not realize that the weight they carried was not merely a physical weight, but a weight consisting of the bittersweet blend of our grief and loving reminiscences. The bench was left empty, a sole reminder of what was. The burglars did leave a “gift” in it’s place. . . that nothing seems to be sacred. Our family has priceless memories of our mother, grandmother, and friend and the memorial has now been replaced. The angel is a tangible item. For those who now have the angel and are in search of the perfect matching bench on which to place their new acquisition, the bench is sold at "*****************". Yet, when acquiring this item, you will have to pay this time. . . with money from your own pocket.