A Nashville mother lost her daughter after four hours. She honors her in the brightest way
By Austin Pollack
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BERRY HILL, Tennessee (WTVF) — Mother’s Day might be over, but every day is a reason to celebrate a mom in our lives.
It’s one of the busiest times of the year for florists, who hope to provide a special light whether it’s a happy or difficult day.
A florist in Berry Hill says she treats her business like it’s her first child. In fact, the business bears the name of her first born.
“This is one of the most humbling jobs I’ve ever had,” said Rachel Penn, owner of Lillian’s Floral Studio. “To run a small business and to also treat it like my first child.”
A Nashville native, Penn lived overseas for a decade and moved back right before the pandemic. She was pregnant with her first baby.
“My daughter, everything changed,” Penn said.
It was Jun. 6, 2020. Penn and her husband welcomed baby girl Lillian. A little more than a year later, the floral studio began to bear the name of Penn’s first born.
“I kind of went back to doing flowers again because it gave me a routine,” said Penn. “So I could go buy flowers every week, arrange something for her, bring it to get grave, talk to her about what I did for that week.
“We had her for about four and a half hours,” Penn added. “And then my husband and I were able to bury her and have a celebration of life with her.”
Lillian Grace Penn was born early at 21 weeks. A mother’s greatest joy — taken in a matter of hours. Penn has since had two other children.
“They’re going to always ask, ‘who is Lillian?” Why is the business named Lillian? Why do we go visit our big sister every week? That’s the light that also combines and helps bring you out of the dark a little bit.”
Lillian continues to shine so very bright.
“For me, my husband always says I get to hear her name every day,” Penn said. “Because you come home and you talk about work. And work is called Lillian’s. And so I get to remember our daughter’s name. Every day you come home and talk about that.”
“I wanted her name and her life to mean something more than just our loss,” she added.
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