11am
11th May
Hundreds maybe thousands of people
Walked
We walked a mile in memory
Of someone we hold dear
Yesterday we walked
For our Baby Tilda
We walked a mile for Matilda Mae
And our friends and family joined us
They came from hundreds of miles around
To remember our little girl
Baby Tilda in the sky.
We walked at The Rare Breeds Centre in Kent.
We gathered early with our troops
To reccy the area and position our marshalls
The team at the farm were amazing
They had everything we needed in place.
After our bacon butties and cups of teas
It was time for our Fun Train class.
Peggy and Lisa did us proud
With singing and dancing and puppets
Lovely friendly oversized puppets
Esther and William had a wonderful time
Along with lots of their friends
And their Mummy too!
Photo by Schryver Photography
Fun Train finished with bubbles
And an emotional attempt at a thank you from me
Then it was time to start our walk
I was honoured to be asked to cut the ribbon
We were officially on our way
Photo by Schryver Photography
Esther and William thought it was wonderful
To have so many people following behind them
As we walked the clouds were looming
I was certain it was about to rain
But it was not long before the sun was shining
Photo by Schryver Photography
The dappled sunlight
Through the Beech leaves
Dancing on the bluebells
Making sparkled patterns on the ground
And our caravan of love
Weaved its merry way
Through woodland
Over board walks
Round fields
And over meadow
There was talking
And laughter
And tears along the way
The bluebells blanketed the woodland floor
They were amazing
A sure sign that Baby Tilda was with us as we walked today?
At the fairy ring and totem pole
Close by the rainbow wood
My wonderful aunt and uncle
Gave out Forget-Me-Not seeds
They hid them in the trees
For the older children to seek and find
As we passed the giant’s chairs
And filed through the farmland
We all remembered Matilda Mae
As we followed her silver star
Photo by Schryver Photography
As the mile ended
Smiling faces welcomed us back
With colourful pots of bubbles
Everyone was ready to show their love to Matilda Mae
Bubbles big and small were blown to the skies
Great big beautiful kisses
For Baby Tilda in the sky.
Jumping Beans set up a play area
For those whose mile had been in a buggy
Classical Babies accompanied
Our activities, our thoughts
Our memories, hugs and tears
Classical Babies were amazing
One of the many highlights of the day for me
Was seeing Esther pick up a violin
And look like she had been playing for years
It was heartwarming to watch William try too
Very cute but not quite as natural as his sister I think x
Another highlight for me was when Classical Babies played Twinkle Twinkle
And In The Night Garden
Everyone sang along to Tilda’s lullaby
And blew bubbles to her in her night garden
I was so sad and so proud
And more than ever I wanted my baby back in my arms.
It dawned on me then
That every single person was there for us
For our Baby Tilda Mae
And that was a wonderful thing
That will stay with me til the day I die
And I will finally get to hold my baby
In my arms
Her mummy’s arms
Where she belongs.
But for now
We walk
We raise money
And awareness
We do what we can for The Lullaby Trust
And we pray that they find a way
To stop SIDS in its tracks
And until then
We help them
Look after broken families like mine.
100 days without Matilda Mae
Never have I been more grateful for my true family and friends
And yesterday they walked beside me
In Kent, in Manchester, in Derbyshire, in Bristol, in Yorkshire
They stood up for my baby
Across the UK and around the world
And I am eternally grateful for that
Thank you to everyone
Who holds Matilda in their hearts
Thank you for remembering our angel
Our star x
Thank you for remembering our sister x
We will be there next year xxx
Oh Jennie, this is the loveliest, most gorgeous post! I am so so proud of you. I LOVE the photo of you hugging Esther. I love ALL the photos. Well done my lovely lovely friend! I am so proud to have been a part of yesterday
x
xxxx
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it was an honour to be part of it, in manchester. Your little girl sent rain our way so that the little ones could jump in puddles and be part of your messy play. At one moment when we walked i looked out across the pond and saw the raindrops bouncing off the surface of the water and thought of all those little ones dancing in and around the sunbeams, the raindrops and on the wind and prayed silently that these lives cut short would not be in vain and that those parents and families left behind would forever feel that their little ones are near. xx
Once again I just want to say a massive thank you from my family, my sister, her children and my friend Julia. Yesterday was by far the best day ever!! Everybody had smiles on their faces ( which is quite rare when trying to entertain children of different ages). The thought you and David put into the walk was just astounding. Walking through the bluebell woods will stick with me forever, the lovely purple flowers reminded me of Matilda but what hit me most was the fragrance! I never new bluebells scent was that gorgeous, far more scented than any rosé. The bubbles were the boys favourite, I don’t think any of them had ever seen such massive bubbles! We will be going to the rare breeds again and will definitely take a moment to remember Tildas walk, thank you Jennie for letting us share it with you cxx
Truly humbling. What a beautiful post, day and tribute – well done Jennie and well done everyone who was a part of it. Wish I could have been there xx
Such a beautiful post written from the heart, in tears of sadness and happiness. I am so glad for you and your family that you had such a good turn out, I wish I could drive so could have been a part of it too.
Such wonderful photos for you to keep and treasure, I especially love the one of you and Esther hugging, violin photos and the last photo of David and Tilda’s star.
I am glad the sun shone for you-Tilda must have been watching down on all of you, the bluebells look gorgeous too xx
What a beautiful, humbling and moving post Jennie. Sounds like it was a perfect day. Lots of love xxx
Sounds just perfect Jennie. Well done you for organising. Always thinking of you. Exx
It was a wonderful day and I felt so, so happy and lucky to be there and to get to be such an integral part of the day. It was a very special day for me and really moving to see Esther grab at the violin and put her hand into this amazing violin-hold before I got the chance to tell her how! Very special. I will definitely be there next year and more… Matilda was very much with us and I bet she was so proud up there in the sky receiving the HUGEST bubble kisses I have ever seen! You were so brave and together, Jennie. A lovely post, lovely photos! x x x
It was a truly lovely day to remember and thank you for organizing it so we could honour and walk for Matilda . The purple sea of bluebells just made it amazing, i thought it was a sign of her being all around. Everyone seemed to have fun and im glad we could be part of it. Well done for doing this for Matilda Mae. x
Your smile amidst such sadness shines through. It is so wonderful that Matilda Mae is right at the heart of your family and still brings you so much joy despite the heartbreaking pain of saying goodbye to her. It’s clear from the photos that she has enriched your lives so much.
I was so proud to be part of such an amazing event, and even though the rains came we walked on with love. So glad your day was as special as it should have been, it looks amazing xxx
such a beautiful post Jenny Matilda Mae will be in the hearts of so so many people forever x
I am sat here in tears Jennie, what a beautiful post and what an amazing sight seeing all those people walking behind you for Matilda. xx
Beautiful words and amazing pictures, we walked in Manchester and thought of you and your family while we blew bubbles into the sky xx
Dear Jennie, I wanted to say huge thank you for organizing this wonderful event. Although we missed the beginning due to being held up elsewhere we enjoyed the beautiful walk and family day out. When I saw the pink & purple balloons and the bubbles being blown by the tent it brought tears to my eyes. It was such a lovely but sad day and you were constantly in my thoughts. But when the warm sun came out it was as if Matilda Mae was looking down at all of us and smiling her beautiful and gorgeous smile. Sending you lots of love and thank you, Jennie xxx
What amazing photos and your words are as beautiful as ever.
We were attending a wedding in my husband family this week end. I thought about you and your beautiful babies. The priest put emphasis on the couple’s wishes to start a family and the children in the church were invited to come and surround the bride and groom when they exchanged their vows. It’s such a big adventure the start of a life with someone else. I had not realised… There is happiness, train rides and play and love, but also sadness, events where loved ones are a memory, trying to see them through the clouds, birthdays that mark time without them, and love – so much love – and hope.
Thank you for sharing your continuing adventure with us. xxxxx
Oh Jennie this is truly wonderful. So much love for baby Tilda. The photographs have brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could have walked with you. I am so looking forward to meeting you in June xx
Now I need to compose before I write. I cried so much reading this – just the beauty of it – what an amazing day. I am so happy it went so well for all of you, and for Matilda Mae – just stunning photos, really stunning! What a wonderful walk. X.
Inspirational and as beautiful as the smile you wear for your baby girl xx
Jennie thank you for Saturday – the walk and bluebells were lovely – i wanted you to know I was there for you and my thoughts are with you – i will be sowing my forgot me not seeds soon in my garden and our 1 acre wood to remember Matilda Mae.
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