A few years ago, our family was expecting our third child, Maverick.  From day one, awaiting his arrival,  we were extremely excited to add him to our family. Brittney and I always envisioned having  three children. To be honest, when I would hug my two kids, I felt there was a little more room in the hug to be filled and more love to be given, so we planned for our third.  Needless to say, he was loved even before he was conceived.

After an unexpected trip to the ER and an emergency C-section, Maverick was born.  During his delivery there were unexpected complications, which left him in the NICU.  Praying for him to make a full recovery, 5 short days later his battle came to an end and was made into our own little angel.

Out of nowhere, our little boy was taken from us. Not only did we lose our baby, but we lost a lifetime of memories with him.  His first smile, first sounds, first words, first laugh, first birthday, first steps, and all the other joys and memories you get to make with your child. There is no doubt our family is missing and feeling a great longing for Maverick. I often ask myself, how does one move on after such a tragic and unexpected loss?  How do we let the world know of our unending love for our son?    What can we do to make others feel the love we have for him and that he existed?  Random Acts of Kindness, of course!  You see, since Maverick was born we have been recipients of an overwhelming amount of RAOK.  Here are a few that we’ve experienced in the past.

• Babysitting for a night out
• Artwork painted in memory of Maverick
• Meals for the family
• A tree in memory of Maverick
• Motivational mail
• Compassionate care from nurses and doctors
• Daily prayers and thoughts of Maverick and the family

Maverick has influenced kindness on us since the day he was born. It has now become our passion to pay kindness forward.  On April 28th, 2017, Maverick’s Birthday, our family launched Memories for Maverick Facebook group.  Memories for Maverick is a community whose goal is to spread Random Acts of Kindness in memory of Maverick.   Please join us in our mission in making the world a better place by spreading kindness and love, in memory of our sweet baby Maverick.  So, find a friend, family member, or better yet a stranger and complete a RAOK.  When you get that warm feeling, smile on your face, and joy in your heart, please be reminded that’s the feeling of making a difference and how we feel about our boy Maverick.