The entrance to this children's memorial garden is marked by a beautiful red marble plaque, which is inscribed with the words "In memory of our Children, Forever loved and in our hearts, Dearly missed and always remembered." It is the figurines surrounded by flowers just beyond the plaque, though, that invite a closer look.

Initial plans for construction of the memorial garden did not include a statue, but when one was unexpectedly donated, the Greater New Orleans TCF chapter was thankful for the generous gift. 

However, at first Garden Committee members were uncertain when they saw the three-foot-high bronze depiction of a young girl and boy playing leapfrog. They realized later, though, the beautiful and memorable message it conveyed. The little girl's pigtails are flying in the air as she jumps over the boy. What a powerful statement about LIFE! Many bereaved parents' most treasured memories are of their children at play. And even those parents whose children never had a chance to play had hopes and dreams of that possibility. With that in mind, this statue became the perfect illustration of their garden's goal: a place not to mourn the deaths of the children but a place to celebrate that they lived.

The unexpected arrival of the perfect statue was only the first of what some feel are "signs" of their children's support. The four marble benches in the garden hold another "gift."

Many bereaved parents have either heard "penny" stories or related their own remarkable experiences of what they feel are "messages" from their children. This chapter has their own amazing story. When the benches were installed, workers unexplainably used pennies rather than their usual shims to balance the benches. As each bench has 27 copper pennies under the legs, angels have tossed this Memorial Garden 108 hugs from heaven!