Dear friends,

Thank you for the love, kind thoughts and prayers you've sent to Rob and me. This time of year is always a challenging time for us. We miss our Mara every day and miss her even more in the autumn when our memories become that much more intense.

This October felt especially heavy on our hearts. Maybe it’s the pandemic that seems to go on forever? Maybe it’s all the rain? Maybe it’s our collective dread for the health of our planet? I know these are worries all of us are trying our best to navigate.

For us, another October / November in COVID times means we won’t be opening our home for our annual Mara party, for the second year in a row.

I even wondered if it was time to stop hosting our event for Mara all together. And then…

We had that weekend where people of Metro Vancouver went banana-pants for double rainbows – twice!! My social media threads were full of photos of beautiful rainbows! It seemed that we all took a moment to stop worrying about everything. We all looked to the skies and smiled and shared that feeling with each other. It was pretty amazing.

For those who don’t know… for Rob and me, rainbows and Mara are closely connected. Our midwives told us there was a bright and beautiful double rainbow in the sky on the day she was born. And then after she died suddenly, when Rob and I took our shattered hearts for a long drive down the Pacific Coast (we got as far as San Francisco before turning back) we saw rainbows almost every day of the two weeks we were travelling.

And so, how could a double, double rainbow weekend be anything but a message that our Mara parties should continue?

I spoke with Amanda, one of our incredible midwives from Pomegranate Community Midwives and organizer of their Holiday Hamper Project. She told me that last year they were able to support ten of their families with gift card hampers of between $500-$750 each. Families were able to use these gift cards to purchase exactly what they needed. This year our midwives have shared that gift cards are the best way to support the families in need.

Please help us in remembering our Mara by supporting our Midwives' Holiday Hamper Project. Truly, any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to donate through the Go Fund Me at the link on this page.

If you prefer, you can e-transfer to Rob or me, or feel free to swing by our house with a donation of cash or gift cards.

Rob and I look forward to hosting you again at our home, as soon as we can.

With much love,

Tammy and Rob