Welcome, Arlin:
When I lived in the Chicago area, our painting group painted memory boxes for the local hospitals for families who had lost infants. It was a very rewarding experience. It is very kind of you to also do so and make special boxes for that purpose. My son was born very early and spent the first month of his life in an incubator. His first Christmas he was one of the only babies left in the ICU at the hospital (besides one other infant, Zachary who was born almost three months early). That Christmas was very sad for us, as we were terribly worried as to the outcome of things. On Christmas morning, we came to see him and there was a little snowman by his side made from a sock. It had a cheerful note on it and wished us all a Merry Christmas. The impact of it was tremendous. It made us see that people really did care and lifted us up a great deal. My son is now 27 years old and a police man in Joliet, which is south of Chicago. He helps others and has made a good life for himself and been a positive contribution to the world. I will never forget though what a rocky start he had and the kindness of some stranger who just showed they cared. I am sure your memory boxes touched many lives in the same way. Thank you very much for that and also your service to our country.
Sheila