I wouldn't have done it any other way. Waiting until I was ready to do Naki's headstone has turned out to be the most touching experience. I was unsure what exactly I wanted on it, and even went to the cemetary several times with the girlies and our camera. We'd walk around, taking pictures of headstones that had wording, or designs, or pictures on them that we liked. For a long time the ground was too frozen to put a headstone in the ground, and so I didn't feel any pressure to move on with a task that I never wanted to be assigned in the first place. One day I felt that it was time...I can't describe it any better than that. Literally one day, as I was ruminating over it in my mind as I'd been doing for months, I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like. It was then that I contacted Beesley Monuments, which was the business I knew I'd use because one of my dear friends' baby's headstone came from there. I liked them because they allow you to have handprints put in the bordering cement of the granite headstone. I thought it would be perfect to do that with Naki's. So the ball was officially rolling. With some adjustments made to it along the way which equaled more waiting time, it seems perfect that it's readiness is coinciding with his one year anniversary. For me it feels like a beautiful way to mark the first year of his death. Yesterday I checked the girls out of school and the school was also accomodating and allowed me to slip away as well so that we could get the girlies' handprints in the cement. The men there were so sweet and obliging, and I loved every minute of it.
By the way, the men there at Beesley told me that they are terribly sad to see this headstone leave their shop. It turned out so beautifully that they've sold several more just by showing it to people. Apparantly I have exquisite taste not only in my choice of husband, but in his headstone too...
