News
Westhope holds dedication for Angel of Hope
Scott Wagar
09/09/2014
It was an evening of hope at the Westhope Cemetery on Saturday evening when the town dedicated the Angel of Hope statue that was recently placed in its local cemetery.
Becky Braaten and Robin Tolstad brought the Angel of Hope to Westhope after they each lost a child in their lives and were seeking peace over their tragic loses.
“I feel relief, our Angel is home,” Tolstad said. “This angel will be a symbol of hope for those that have suffered a loss and it is something that people can come to and feel a little peace. She is simple but yet she is so intense. When you have lost someone special, that is what you are looking for, something to give you hope, and I believe that this angel can do that when she is welcome.”
The Angel of Hope is a statue that appears in different locations throughout the world to give comfort to individuals who have lost a loved one.
The statue was established by Richard Paul Evan’s novel, “The Christmas Box,” which deals with a mother’s grief in a loss of her child. Within the novel, the mother mourns her child’s death at the base of an angel statue she had commissioned to be created in honor of her child. Through her conception of the statue, the mother places the word “Hope” on one of the angel’s wings, which Evan uses in the plot of the story to deal with sorrow and finding the true meaning of Christmas.
After the novel was published, individuals started to place the Angel of Hope in their hometown areas.
To date, on the 20th anniversary of the first Angel of Hope being placed in a cemetery, there are 120 Angel of Hope statues, which includes Westhope’s statue.
Braaten was introduced to the statue while attending a conference. She then brought the idea home to Tolstad and the two ladies made the decision to bring the statue to the Westhope Cemetery.
During the ceremony, Pastor Carol Wendel of Metigoshe Ministries gave words of hope and encouragement with a blessing.
“In the presence of this angel that we dedicated this evening, may all who sorrow be filled with love, with comfort and with hope,” Wendel said.
Wendel also gave prayers and read a poem by Roger Heth, the brother to Tolstad, who wrote the poem titled, “Death is Nothing at All” for Tolstad’s daughter, Jenna, on the eve of her funeral after she passed away in a car crash.
The keynote speaker was Lisa Johnson, a representative for Evans from Salt Lake City. Johnson spoke about the history of the Angel of Hope and her travels across the world for those who have had dedications of the statue, places like Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building for the children lost in that incident; Newtown, Conn., in association with the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school; and in an empty school yard in Japan where once a school stood but was lost altogether by the tsunami and killed all the children while in school that day.
“In my travels one of the most important things to me is how each statue feels differently. When I came here today I noticed just how beautiful this place is and what a perfect setting it is from the beautiful concrete to the base to the statue itself,” Johnson said.
“I know that people’s children on the other side have a role in helping their parents bringing these beautiful statues to these places, because each one of them feels so different, and I know that they are not, they are all made from the same mold in Utah; but, every one of them take on their own personality,” she continued.
“While there isn’t one place with more prominence or importance than any other, I share these things with you so you know how far reaching the power and message of this little angel statue really is,” Johnson added.
“When it comes to the angel I hope you lookup because her gaze is heaven ward and so should ours be. And, her arms are reached out just as ours should be to each other to help each other in our times of needs.”
Audience members at the end of the dedication were given the opportunity to lay a white rose on the statue in remembrance of someone special who has gone on before them.
With the statue now in place, Braaten and Tolstad feel that individuals who have lost loved ones will now have a place to come and rest their hearts and find hope.