Today is Mother’s Day, a reminder to appreciate our moms (especially if she’s not this lady). Unfortunately, some moms are having a harder time than others, but this story demonstrates how awesome people can be during a tragedy.
Valarie Watts of Cokato, Minnesota, lost her son Noah last July in the final few days of her pregnancy, due to a pinched umbilical cord. She came home from the hospital with a full nursery prepared for her son, and found it difficult to part with any of it. Many months later, she was selling some of the baby clothes at a garage sale when hobbyist woodworker Gerald Kumpala inquired about the baby crib stored in the garage. He told her he made benches from headboards and footboards of beds. The crib wasn’t for originally for sale, but Watts agreed to sell it.
Kumpula noticed her reluctance to part with the crib, and found out later from his wife that Watts had lost her son. He told KMSP, “We decided on our way home that, you know, this bench is going back.” A week later, he surprised Valarie Watts with a transformative gift — a memorial bench made from her son’s crib. “I started crying instantly,” she told KMSP. “It’s amazing, and there’s good people out there. There’s proof.”
Hug your mom today, you guys.