A
friend once showed me a video of this festival where everyone gathered in the
middle of no where in the evening, lit these huge lanterns, and watched as they
slowing floated into the sky. It reminded me of on of my favorite Disney movies
Tangled, and of course it was something I wanted to do. These festivals at the
time were only done in other countries from what we could find so after a night
of watching and wishing, It was soon forgotten.
Shortly after Liam's passing, I found information about this same festival only this time, it was to be held in Nevada about an hour from our home. I couldn't imagine a more peaceful setting to honor our little man. Something about the outdoors, the sky, the clouds and the heavens makes me feel closer to my baby boy than almost anything else. Its comforting too that the sky is always with me whereas his nursery is only comforting when I'm home. We had also done balloon releases before and to me this was just another way of doing that only the lanterns would float slowly so we would be really able to soak up every second. It didn't take much talking Justin into the idea, we got our tickets (about 3-4 months in advance) and we went.
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE.
The festival as a whole received nothing but terrible publicity. Parking and transportation was a disaster and even causes some parties to miss the even all together. Some folks didn't read the itinerary and were not expecting to walk a mile to the lighting location. Options for food and beverages were not as promised. Those with small children and family members that needed special assistance were definitely in for more than they expected. Its easy to forget the good when there's so much bad to focus on. The day went much worse for other people, but as for Justin and I - It was exactly what we wanted and expected to get out of the experience with the exception of waiting 4 cold hours in a mob of angry people for a ride home.
It was the most breathtaking overwhelmingly beautiful setting. We walked a mile into the dry lake beds of Jean Nevada. We found a spot with two tiki torches, two yoga mats, and four lanterns (two each) along with markers and pens to write with. We each wrote messages and wishes to Liam. It was nice to just see his name written down on paper. There were no lights in this area except for the torches, and a glowing stage that was featuring wonderful calming music. The entire atmosphere was consuming. We just sat, talked, wrote, relaxes, listened and watched all around us.
Shortly after Liam's passing, I found information about this same festival only this time, it was to be held in Nevada about an hour from our home. I couldn't imagine a more peaceful setting to honor our little man. Something about the outdoors, the sky, the clouds and the heavens makes me feel closer to my baby boy than almost anything else. Its comforting too that the sky is always with me whereas his nursery is only comforting when I'm home. We had also done balloon releases before and to me this was just another way of doing that only the lanterns would float slowly so we would be really able to soak up every second. It didn't take much talking Justin into the idea, we got our tickets (about 3-4 months in advance) and we went.
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE.
The festival as a whole received nothing but terrible publicity. Parking and transportation was a disaster and even causes some parties to miss the even all together. Some folks didn't read the itinerary and were not expecting to walk a mile to the lighting location. Options for food and beverages were not as promised. Those with small children and family members that needed special assistance were definitely in for more than they expected. Its easy to forget the good when there's so much bad to focus on. The day went much worse for other people, but as for Justin and I - It was exactly what we wanted and expected to get out of the experience with the exception of waiting 4 cold hours in a mob of angry people for a ride home.
It was the most breathtaking overwhelmingly beautiful setting. We walked a mile into the dry lake beds of Jean Nevada. We found a spot with two tiki torches, two yoga mats, and four lanterns (two each) along with markers and pens to write with. We each wrote messages and wishes to Liam. It was nice to just see his name written down on paper. There were no lights in this area except for the torches, and a glowing stage that was featuring wonderful calming music. The entire atmosphere was consuming. We just sat, talked, wrote, relaxes, listened and watched all around us.
It was finally time to light and release the lanterns. Everyone was instructed to light the first lantern at the same time so the first release would be at once. We had a bit of a hard time understanding how to actually release the lanterns, as ours just kept floating down, but after a few trys it worked. And all at once everything was perfectly beautiful. We were mesmerized by all the sights and sounds around us. Its definitely something you would need to see in person but the photos reflect a piece of the moment. I do hope Liam was looking down and seeing the glow from the lanterns and watching his parents hold and love each other while thinking of him.
It gives me most comfort to honor Liam by trying to do or create something beautiful for him to see on earth compared to the sights I'm sure he is blessed with every day in heaven. If its a sky of balloons or lanterns so be it. A decorated headstone, a peaceful backyard, or a tree in our favorite park. I hope that we make him happy, proud and loved. There's not much more I can do that could compare. My son paints the sky each morning, day and night with all of the other chosen angels too precious for earth. Whats more beautiful than that?
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