Valerie Watts experienced what no parent-to-be should ever have to experience. She was 9 months pregnant and had just a few days remaining before she was due to give birth when she received the tragic news that she was carrying a stillborn baby.
The grief of the young woman must have been unimaginable. Even more heartbreaking is the idea of being left with a nursery filled with cribs, toys, and baby clothes, but no baby.
It took a while, but Valerie finally decided to sell the crib in a garage sale – but she wasn’t prepared for what would happen after the sale.
Today, this beautiful story is spreading on the Internet.
“All week I knew, he wasn’t moving as much. I was very nervous.”
Those are the words of Valerie Watts from Cokata, Minnesota when she tells Fox9 about the week before her son Noah was tragically stillborn.
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After the traumatic experience of giving birth to her deceased son, Valerie couldn’t bring herself to sell Noah’s stuff or touch the nursery she had made for him. She was so devastated that she left it untouched for a year.
However, in May 2014, she thought she had gathered enough strength to set up a garage sale and sell Noah’s belongings and baby furniture. It was a difficult decision that forced her to put some items on sale, including the crib which she seemed to be attached to the most. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she thought it would be the last thing anyone would want to buy.
To her surprise, an older man named Gerald took a liking to the piece of furniture. Gerald restored old furniture in his spare time and thought he could make use of the crib. He insisted on buying it but could sense a feeling of uncertainty from Valerie’s side.
“She was a little hesitant, I knew she might not want to sell it. And yet she did,” he told Fox9.
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Gerald had no idea what the real reason for the yard sale was. He had seen Valerie selling baby clothes and just assumed that her child was probably older and she didn’t need all that stuff anymore.
Little did he know that his wife, who was also at the garage sale, had earlier been chatting with Valarie and asked her how old her child was. Valarie explained that her baby passed away in July and it broke the lady’s heart.
Gerald packed up the crib into their car and he and his wife drove home. On the way, his wife told him Valerie’s story. They understood what this crib must have meant to her and why she seemed so hesitant to sell it. They decided that they had to take the piece of furniture back.
But Gerald also understood that it could be just as painful to have it in the form of a crib. So he decided to transform it into a beautiful bench as a memorial for Noah.
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A week later, Gerald returned to Valerie’s house with the gift. The unused crib was now a beautiful bench that would sit in her home as a memory of her Noah.
Valerie was left in tears by the beautiful gesture of this gracious stranger.
“It’s amazing, and there are good people there, that’s proof,” she told Fox9.
Talk about a wonderful and thoughtful gift from Gerald! This lovely bench can now honor her dear Noah.
Many parents have experienced something similar to Valerie. Consider sharing this story to show your solidarity with these parents.
