Connecting With Reita Gale

August 19th I participated in Carly Marie's Day of Hope & Prayer Flags.  I have already posted about my prayer flag I made for my firstborn son, James Collins Fitts, Jr.  After I finished his flag, I began to make plans for my only daughter's flag, Reita Gale Fitts.  She was my last born baby.  She was stillborn at 20 weeks on May 31, 1982. My flag reflects my hopes and dreams that were shattered with her death.  I will show you her flag, then tell why I designed it as I did.

                                          Reita Gale Fitts' Prayer Flag of Hope

                                                                 

                                                
                                                                               

 

 

 

The border is made from left over satin blanket material left over from one of my grandchildren's blanket  I made.  I chose green for Spring since she was born May 31, 1982.  I used plenty of pink ribbons for all of the ribbons that would have been in her life....ribbons in her hair, Christening gown,  prom dresses, first corsage, her wedding gown and bouquet.  The pearls represent so much.  They are set in waves for my waves of grief over her loss.  They represent her wedding she should be having or would have had by now.  The pink baby feet are from baby blanket material that represents her pitter patter I never heard.  They are enclosed in a heart with a hole in it which is her heart that stopped beating within my body.  I knew instantly when she quit kicking her tiny feet that she had gone to Heaven. The baby blanket material also represents that she was wrapped in a blanket the hospital for us to hold her.  The Reita Gale cross-stitched heart is for the many things I would never get to teach my daughter and share with her.  The hole in the heart represents the hole in my heart that has never healed, gets deeper instead as I realized she will never have the chance to give me grandchildren or cook a Christmas meal together with laughter. The white starfish represents that she was my 5th child.  The Forget-me-nots flowers are the reassurance that she will never be forgotten as long as I live.  Reita Gale had a twin that I miscarried the January before her stillbirth in May. 

 

Reita Gale's Flag Beside Her Brother's Flag