10/18/2026
For Radley, and for all the little ones gone too soon-
Trigger Warning- October is Infant and Pregnancy Loss awareness month
This is a bit off-brand for us, but it’s deeply important to our family, so I hope you’ll read it.
This June marked a milestone we couldn’t exactly celebrate. Ten years ago, Johnny and I lost our first child, our son Radley. He was stillborn at 34½ weeks.
A loss like that takes a long time to heal from, if ever. Grief comes in so many forms and phases, and some days it still aches in a way I can’t describe and wouldn’t wish on anyone.
As this ten-year anniversary approached, part of my healing was deciding to be more open about our loss. I wanted to honor Radley, and other children gone far too soon, in a meaningful way.
So I made a plan: my vision was to turn an unused corner of our property into a memory garden. Anyone who had lost a baby, pregnancy, or child could bring a painted rock or a small angel figurine to place there in their memory.
Something shifted as I worked on it. For the first time, I could talk about what we’d been through without shutting down or burying the pain. It felt empowering to take all that sad energy and turn it into something beautiful to share.
Unfortunately, the garden was tied to another project that the city shut down. I was told I couldn’t host it without rezoning our property for commercial use, which isn’t possible for us right now. The loss of the project felt so devestating all over again. The garden went on the back burner, Radley’s anniversary came and went, and once again, I didn’t speak of it.
But trust- I’m not giving up.
While I can’t open the garden to the public, I’m still going to build it, and I’d love your help. If you know someone who has had to say goodbye to their baby or child, would you share this with them? Please, invite them to bring a small angel, a painted rock, or another token of remembrance into our shop at 306 N Spokane Street Suite E in Post Falls. They are welcome to leave it outside the door if they wish to remain anonymous or come in and share a hug, their story, and possibly a tear or two.
This coming spring, the garden will go up, and I’ll hold space there for all the little ones you didn’t get to know earthside.
With profound gratitude,
Ashley & Johnny
