A few days ago, I started rummaging through the Internet and decided to put in my deceased daughter’s full name when unmarried and see what came up. I was astonished to find two Google pages of information on her and links to me, my book, Open to Hope and the fund established in her name. She died 16 years ago, and I now have proof that she still lives on for others to read about.

The most interesting note I saw dealt with her high school alma mater. Back in 2004, ten years after her death, two of her friends (and I recognized the names, since I knew most of their names during her high school time) had written a brief note saying how much she is missed and mentioned what I assume was the topic of two funny incidents between all of them.

Wow! I can tell you how that made me feel… pretty darn good to realize I am not the only one who remembers. And pretty darn good to know that there are so many sites and so many ways we can remember our children.

The sites are out there to set up on your own to memorialize your child. The latest one is from Compassionate Friends. Go to their website and read about how to do one. Some sites charge; others are free. Google the phrase “memorial sites,” and you will get a good listing.

In another blog written a few weeks ago on my site, I had a comment about my daughter’s high school and perhaps doing a scholarship there. It was an anonymous note but, wow, someone else who knew her who had a suggestion for keeping her memory alive 16 years after her death. As a side note: for many years I did do a scholarship at the school I taught in. Now I am concentrating more on a foundation fund and helping others through that means.

Other articles dealt with her giving money to a political campaign in the 1970s and references to stories in my book about her. If your child won an award or was an athlete in school, you may just find some information that would be of interest to you and make you smile.

Yesterday, I Googled Marcy’s married name and the same information came up. Amazing what we can find and do on the internet.

I encourage all of you to Google your child’s name and see what happens. I hope you find that your child also is not forgotten.

Sandy’s new book on surviving grief, Creating a New Normal…After the Death of a Child, is full of coping techniques and informational skills for bereaved parents, family members and friends. The book can be purchased at Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon, iUniverse or Centering.com