09/20/2026
I have started this post about ten times, and every time I struggle to find the words.
Over 900 of you showed up yesterday.
900+ people walked through the Light & Lumber Rustic Market, supported our vendors, donated, shared stories, remembered children, and showed our family and the loss community an amount of love that I truly don’t know how to put into words.
I am literally speechless.
They say that when a family loses a child, it takes a community to help carry them through. Yesterday, we felt that community surrounding us in every direction. 🤍
First, to our vendors: thank you. Thank you for trusting this little market, for showing up with your beautiful businesses, for donating, for supporting our purpose and for helping create the atmosphere that makes Light & Lumber what it is. This market simply would not exist without you.
To the 900+ people who came through the gates: THANK YOU. My family went around afterward to make sure everything was cleaned up and tidy, and one of the things they kept commenting on was how incredibly respectful everyone was of the grounds. With that many people coming through, it meant so much to see our space treated with such care.
And then there was Callie’s Cove. 🐢
A space that holds so much meaning for us and for so many other families.
A very special thank you to Jenn Tolley, who graciously donated the beautiful 3D turtles you saw in Callie’s Cove yesterday. They were absolutely incredible, and seeing those little turtles, each carrying so much meaning, was something I will never forget.
To our family, our friends who have become family, and every single person who stepped up without hesitation: thank you doesn’t feel big enough. You worked, lifted, carried, organized, poured drinks, cleaned, helped wherever you were needed and somehow knew what needed to be done before I even had to ask. And to everyone who offered to jump in and help, please know how much that meant too.
Then last night, we sat down and counted the donations.
Between the generous donations from our vendors and the donations collected at the gate…
$4,472 WAS RAISED. 🥹🤍
I bawled.
When we finished counting and realized what all of you had done, I just sat there in complete awe.
$4,472 is now the beginning of our Loss Room Fund, in honour of Callie. 🐢
Our hope is to create a dedicated space for families experiencing the unimaginable loss of a child. A comfortable, private place where they can grieve. A space where a family can gather together, hold one another, cry, sit quietly, make memories and simply be a family during some of the hardest hours of their lives.
Because of all of you, that dream is now $4,472 closer to becoming a reality.
There is something else yesterday gave our family that is harder to put a dollar amount on: joy.
After losing a child, joy can become complicated. You learn that grief and joy don’t cancel each other out. Somehow, you learn to carry both.
Yesterday, while we honoured Callie and so many other deeply loved children, there was laughter. There were hugs. There were stories. There were children playing. There was community. There was joy.
And for a family who has experienced loss, being given a day where your child is remembered so loudly while you are also allowed to feel joy is an incredible gift.
Losing your child changes the way you celebrate them, but it never changes the fact that you will always be their mom and dad.
Callie may not get to grow up alongside us, but somehow her love continues to grow.
It grows through Callie’s Cove.
It grows through the families who share their children with us.
It grows through this market.
It grows through this community.
And now, it will grow through a room created to hold families when they need it most.
From our entire family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you, Shellbrook and area!
Thank you to our vendors.
Thank you to every person who walked through those gates.
Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, shared, supported and remembered.
900+ people.
$4,472 raised.
Countless children remembered.
And one little girl whose legacy continues to blossom. 🐢🤍
And because yesterday reminded us just how special this community is, we are so excited to say…
🪵✨ LIGHT & LUMBER RUSTIC MARKET WILL RETURN! ✨🪵
SAVE THE DATE:
Saturday, September 18th, 2027
We cannot wait to welcome all of you back for another beautiful day together. 🤍
One more little thing! If you were one of the people who tried Brit’s Mix cracker mix from the Dirty Soda Bar yesterday, you may have noticed it disappeared pretty quickly! 😂 We completely SOLD OUT!
I’ve had people asking about getting more, so I am planning to make another batch of Brit’s Mix!
If you’d like a bag, please send us a message directly through the Light & Lumber page to place your order. That will help me keep all of the orders together in one place.
For Callie.
For every baby and child deeply loved and deeply missed.
And for every family learning how to carry grief and joy together.
Thank you. Until September 18th, 2027. 🐢🤍 Crafted with Heart- Rooted in Memory
