FAMILY
THE INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S MEMORIAL PLACE
Supporting Families Through the Healing Power of Nature
By Crystal Smith Photos: ICMP
Since time immemorial, people have found solace in nature. Whether taking time for quiet reflection or enjoying a long walk, being outdoors is good for the soul.
IT was this belief in the healing power of nature that inspired Bill and Myra MacLean to create the International Children’s Memorial Place (ICMP) after the untimely death of their son, Trevor, in 1995. Incorporated in 1999 on the site of a former provincial park, ICMP serves as a place of respite for families grieving the loss of a child.
near Freetown, the site is a place of great serenity and natural beauty. Visitors seeking a place for quiet contemplation can walk the Trail of Reflection or the Labyrinth of Life and Love, a beautiful exhibit designed to help provide insights, courage and understanding in the face of life’s challenges. The Fountain of Life is another impressive feature of the park, with its large globe reminding visitors that ICMP is not just for
Islanders, but for visitors from around the world.
child and a sense of hope and healing.
Perhaps the most vivid representation of ICMP’s mission is the Legacy Sculpture, a truly moving work of art carved in salt-and-pepper granite, featuring a family of five with one child’s form completely removed from the stone. The missing child symbolizes loss, but also allows light to flow through, reflecting the love parents will always have for their
Parents can create lifelong memorials to their child by planting a tree in the Everliving Forest and engraved bricks can be laid along the Path of Remembrance in the name of friends or family members. New additions to these memorials are commemorated in annual tree dedication and bricklaying ceremonies held in June and August respectively.
Comprised of 12 acres on the banks of Scales Pond
PEI LIVING MAGAZINE / 94 / VOL 8 . ISSUE 3
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