Nicole Wieringa remembers it like yesterday. On July 9, 2015, she went in for a routine ultrasound at 17-weeks pregnant, only to learn something was not right.
The mother of two was expecting her third daughter, only to learn Finley Grace had died in the womb.
The next day, she was induced and gave birth to her perfect baby girl, gone too soon.
Nicole spent the next two years navigating the waters of grief. Wrestling with overwhelming feelings of loneliness, confusion and “what-ifs.”
Not a minute goes by that Nicole isn’t thinking about her daughter—the missing piece to their family.
Finley mattered. Her existence was not an accident, and it should never be forgotten.
As a tribute to her baby girl’s memory, Nicole began visiting the Riverside Cemetery in Hastings, Michigan, where Finley is buried.
With each visit, Nicole took notice of children’s graves and headstones. She experienced an inexplicable connection to each of those who’d passed, and particularly their parents who’ve been through similar grief to hers.
So she did something “therapeutic.” Nicole gathered together a handful of rocks, and painted each one with bright colors and hearts.
Then she’d walk the cemetery, and leave one of her painted rocks on the headstone of each deceased child she passed—as a symbol of solidarity to the grieving parents.
In doing so, Nicole began to heal. She found comfort in comforting others and doing something in memory of her precious Finley Grace.
The mother of three says she doesn’t expect anything for her efforts as it’s helping her more than anyone could imagine. She just hopes that another mom or dad sees the rocks and finds peace in their own pain, knowing they are not alone—and that their child is seen, cherished and remembered.
