20th Annual Day of Remembrance held in Tyler Children’s Park

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Over 300 angels were handcrafted, so community members could have a loved one’s name engraved, then hang an angel on a tree at The Children’s Park.

The Children’s Park and related support groups help to connect those dealing with grief in a healthy way.

“We had a son who was stillborn in 2017, and we love coming to the day of remembrance because it’s a really nice way to just have a moment to stop and reflect and remember him,” said attendee Hannah Holden.

Holden and her family attend A Day of Remembrance every year to honor her son, Fenicks Garrett Holden.

Holden’s son had passed before he was born.

“It’s both hopeful and somewhat terrifying; you are never quite at ease until the baby is in your arms,” said Holden.

Holden said she’s thankful for the support system that The Children’s Park offers.

“Our oldest was 6 at the time, and she’d been really excited because she wanted a sibling for many, many years, and so when we lost her brother, she was devastated, and it was a grieving process for her,” Holden said.

Today, the Holden family hung an angel ornament that volunteers from The Children’s Park crafted by hand.

The volunteers began making the ornaments in January.

“We have a tradition for his birthday of coming down here, and we write letters on a piece of paper to him and fold them into paper boats and send them down the little creek,” said Holden.

“We know that hurt people hurt people, and we don’t want to continue that cycle, and we wanna bless people and give them that hope. You don’t have to stay stuck in your grief; you can embrace all the uncomfortable feelings and move forward,” said Eloise Ghrist, executive director for The Children’s Park.

Ghrist has dealt with two losses from miscarriages.

“The second one was a real hard hard time, and I knew within a month or two I was not doing well, so those people telling me about Glory Babies was really what I need to push me in the right direction,” Ghrist said.

Ghrist said that receiving information about The Children’s Park and the support group Glory Babies was a sign from God.

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