News

Two individuals from the city of Westhope look to bring hope

By Scott Wagar

02/18/2014

“Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.” William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

For two Westhope women who have lost children in their lives these words of Shakespeare have a great deal of meaning to them as they attempt to get one word out to the masses through a statue of an child liked angel which they feel can bring peace to the inner most soul, the word of “Hope."

Robin Tolstad and Becky Braaten have come together to bring a Richard Paul Evan’s Christmas Box Angel to the Westhope Cemetery in hopes to bring peace of mind to those who are suffering the lost of a loved one.

The Christmas Box Angel comes from Evan’s best selling novel, “The Christmas Box,” which deals with a mother’s grief in a loss of a child. Within the novel, the mother mourns her loss at a base of an angel she had commissioned to be created in honor of her child. Through the conception of the statue, the mother places the word “Hope” on one of the angel’s wings and Evan uses the statue in the plot of his story to deal with sorrow and finding the true meaning of Christmas.

Although the story is primarily fictional, it appears the angel actually did exist in Salt Lake City and was destroyed to flood water. After Evan’s book was published, individuals who were dealing with the grief of a loved one began searching for the angel. With the statue destroyed, Evan commissioned the Christmas Box Angel he wrote about in his novel to be cast and had it placed on land donated by the city of Salt Lake City.

Since that time, the statue has become popular throughout the world. An additional 25 statues have been commissioned in cities with hundreds more planned.              

Tolstad and Braaten’s journey for a Christmas Box Angel really started over a decade ago when Braaten lost a baby to SIDS. To care for her grief, she attended a conference and was introduced to Evan’s best selling novel and the angel like statue.

Many years later, when Tolstad lost her daughter, Jenna, in a car accident, Braaten shared Evan’s novel with her and the concept of bringing a Christmas Box Angel to Westhope’s cemetery began.

For the two ladies, the Christmas Box Angel isn’t a statue just for the Westhope community, but a angel for anyone, throughout the world, who wanted an angel in finding hope.

“It really isn’t just for the Westhope area. For paperwork purposes we had to put a name on it. So, that is why it is called the Westhope Area Angel of Hope,” Tolstad said. “There are three other Christmas Box Angels in the state of North Dakota. There is one in Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks. However, there isn’t one in the northwest part of the state and Becky and I would like to have for this area. But, the statue is for anybody, not just Westhope residents.”

Both Tolstad and Braaten have traveled to Salt Lake City to see the Christmas Box Angel. Tolstad stated the statue brought her hope and peace in her grieving.

“The statue is a unique thing. It really is a different calming feeling when you look at it and you think this is for me to gain from,” Tolstad said. “That statue is for me to draw some hope from, too, not just people of Salt Lake City. Becky and I want this for the statue in Westhope, no matter where you are from, we want people to come to Westhope and draw hope from it.”

The cost of the statue with its granite pedestal is around $25,000. The company who creates the Christmas Angel Box has a policy that 50 percent of the statue must be paid when ordered with the remainder of the cost being paid when the statue and base is delivered.

To date, they have raised around $2,500. However, Tolstad and Braaten have set-up a collection at the Westhope Bank, they have a Facebook page (Westhope Area Angel of Hope) where online donations can take place and individuals can mail-in donations to Tolstad at 375 4th Street E, Westhope, ND 58793.

When the statue is delivered it will be four feet and three inches tall and have a wing span of five feet and two inches. The statue’s wing will also hold the word “Hope” to bring encouragement to those who feel discouraged over the loss of their loved ones.

For Tolstad, the Christmas Box Angel is about angels and their message of hope, which she wants to give to other individuals who have lost souls of seeing a loved one pass away.

“Angels have kind of always brought encouragement to me and after we lost Jenna people would say that heaven gained a great angel. I guess that is probably part of it,” Tolstad said. “With the Westhope Area Angel of Hope we want people to be able to come and feel like this statue is theirs and that it’s a place where they can feel safe and secure. And, hopefully they will leave feeling better and have some hope.”

For more information on the Christmas Box Angel, go to http://www.richardpaulevans.com/angel-statues