This Mother’s Day, our hearts are heavy for our friend Heidi from HoneyBear Lane and her family.  Earlier this week her sister-in-law Alice passed away just a week after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl.  She leaves behind her husband (Heidi’s brother), her infant daughter, and two young sons.

In memory of Alice, Lara from Less Cake More Frosting designed a beautiful set of free printables, which you can download at HoneyBear Lane.  Alice had a PhD in music and was an incredibly gifted pianist; her love of music is the inspiration behind these images.

The emotional weight of this loss is huge, and the family is struggling to come to terms with it.  While there is nothing we can do to help ease their pain, as only time can heal such wounds, we can help with another aspect: finances.

Heidi has started the Alice Hansen Family Fund to help defray the bills that are stacking up:  medical bills (the family had no health insurance), funeral costs, and the day-to-day expenses of raising three young children without a job.  (The newly-widowed father recently completed his Masters Degree but has not yet secured employment.)

We urge you to visit HoneyBear Lane to learn more about Alice and her story, and how you can help.  Even if you can’t afford a monetary donation, you can share the free printables on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or any other means, using them to help spread Alice’s story.

Thank you, dear readers, for taking a moment out of your Mother’s Day to help a family mourning the loss of a mother.  If you see your mom today, hug her extra tight, and remember to tell her how lucky you are to have her!