SMALL LOVE BUTTON IS “HUGE”
Last summer a young man named Michael Page was sucker punched leaving him comatose on the floor of a Starbucks in Vancouver. Onlookers stood helplessly watching. Two days later and with zero choice, his parents Steffany and Mike made the call to let him go.
Just a few weeks ago we spoke on the phone to a bereaving mother. She was planning a celebration of life for her eldest son of two. Her questions began with Big Love Buttons. Through tears she explained that she wanted to pay forward the LOVE that her son embodied. She wanted the LOVE to replace hate amongst those involved and she wanted to share the LOVE that a stranger left in the form of a shiny blue button. This is what Michael would have wanted, she said with confidence.
In a pot that held a tree just outside the entrance of the coffee house, a humble memorial began to develop, with little notes and innocent tokens for Michael. His mom Steffany made a habit of visiting the kids at Starbucks, some of whom she had concern for, having experienced the traumatic incident. She would spend time looking at every new addition to Michael’s tribute tree, pondering just who had come by and why…. the Big Love Button, tucked amongst the leaves one fateful day, spoke to her.
Michael was loved. And somebody loved her too.
A SMALL LOVE BUTTON LEFT FOR A HEARTBROKEN MOTHER.
HUGE, SAYS STEFFANY PAGE. HUGE.
“I cannot believe somebody cared enough to leave this gift of LOVE here. And I really needed it. Through tears she added, I felt them giving love to my son. And to me. It was like an angel had wrapped my shoulders in a love blanket. It was huge. HUGE. In that moment it became the kindest thing anyone had ever done for me.“
Several weeks later, at a gathering for Michael, she personally handed out hundreds of pure white Big Love Buttons to every open hand and open heart. And afterwards she and her family continued to pay them forward to folks downtown. She popped in again to see us. Full of warmth and humour. And more tears. From all of us.
Steffany enriched our experience of love. Warm, strong, transparent, yes funny and completely shattered by the loss of her boy, she has shared with us with honesty what this has meant for her. For her husband Mike and for their remaining son, Anthony. To be so close as to experience the heart beat, the fast tears and the sheer will to keep a child here has been profound. In the face of hate and anger and confusion and pain, this mother has chosen to amass a legacy of LOVE in the name of her son.
And when asked, what do you want others to know about this experience… She implored,
LOVE. LOVE each other. No matter what the circumstances. Kids need it. We all need it. You never know what somebody else is going through. They may have suffered loss. They may have depression, or anxiety or suffer from mental illness. Everybody has a bad day occasionally. Offer love, or walk away.
Our deepest condolences to the Page Vincelli’s for the loss of your beautiful boy Michael. Our doors and hearts are always open for you.
Much love,
Wendy, William and Maddison.
A SMALL LOVE BUTTON LEFT FOR A HEARTBROKEN MOTHER.
HUGE, SAYS STEFFANY PAGE. HUGE.
Last summer a young man named Michael Page was sucker punched leaving him comatose on the floor of a Starbucks in Vancouver. Onlookers stood helplessly watching. Two days later and with zero choice, his parents Steffany and Mike made the call to let him go.
Just a few weeks ago we spoke on the phone to a bereaving mother. She was planning a celebration of life for her eldest son of two. Her questions began with Big Love Buttons. Through tears she explained that she wanted to pay forward the LOVE that her son embodied. She wanted the LOVE to replace hate amongst those involved and she wanted to share the LOVE that a stranger left in the form of a shiny blue button. This is what Michael would have wanted, she said with confidence.
In a pot that held a tree just outside the entrance of the coffee house, a humble memorial began to develop, with little notes and innocent tokens for Michael. His mom Steffany made a habit of visiting the kids at Starbucks, some of whom she had concern for, having experienced the traumatic incident. She would spend time looking at every new addition to Michael’s tribute tree, pondering just who had come by and why…. the Big Love Button, tucked amongst the leaves one fateful day, spoke to her.
Michael was loved. And somebody loved her too.
“I cannot believe somebody cared enough to leave this gift of LOVE here. And I really needed it. Through tears she added, I felt them giving love to my son. And to me. It was like an angel had wrapped my shoulders in a love blanket. It was huge. HUGE. In that moment it became the kindest thing anyone had ever done for me.“
Several weeks later, at a gathering for Michael, she personally handed out hundreds of pure white Big Love Buttons to every open hand and open heart. And afterwards she and her family continued to pay them forward to folks downtown. She popped in again to see us. Full of warmth and humour. And more tears. From all of us.
Steffany enriched our experience of love. Warm, strong, transparent, yes funny and completely shattered by the loss of her boy, she has shared with us with honesty what this has meant for her. For her husband Mike and for their remaining son, Anthony. To be so close as to experience the heart beat, the fast tears and the sheer will to keep a child here has been profound. In the face of hate and anger and confusion and pain, this mother has chosen to amass a legacy of LOVE in the name of her son.
And when asked, what do you want others to know about this experience… She implored,
LOVE. LOVE each other. No matter what the circumstances. Kids need it. We all need it. You never know what somebody else is going through. They may have suffered loss. They may have depression, or anxiety or suffer from mental illness. Everybody has a bad day occasionally. Offer love, or walk away.
Our deepest condolences to the Page Vincelli’s for the loss of your beautiful boy Michael. Our doors and hearts are always open for you.
Much love,
Wendy, William and Maddison.
