North Texas nonprofit helps families navigate loss
LEWISVILLE, Texas - A North Texas woman started a nonprofit to create a safe space for widows and widowers to heal as they navigate their way through an unimaginable loss.
Broken Halos Haven allows families from across the country to travel to North Texas for a fresh start.
"It’s okay for grief and joy to hold hands and that sting of loss will always be there, but it is okay to move forward with newness," said Natalie Reid-Knutson, the co-founder of Broken Halos Haven.
Reid-Knutson lost her first love, Wayne, to a heart attack in 2018.
Wayne and Natalie had three boys, so she did what any mother would do for their children during a time of grief.
"We needed an escape, and we didn’t want to be here for Christmas morning, it would have been too hard. We had a friend that lived in New York and we spent a week up their making new memories and having fun," Reid-Knutson recalled.
The trip sparked the idea for a sanctuary where families could find hope and healing, but, more importantly, build new memories moving forward.
Three years after her husband's death, she co-founded Broken Halos Haven.
"It is to empower those widows who are now parenting alone, to let them know that they can get their kids on a plane or drive 8 hours or across town and spend time here. It's just a distraction from that new norm," said Reid-Knutson.
The renovated 1920 home is located in Old Town Lewisville.
It offers families the chance to visit the Metroplex with resources and support throughout their healing journey.
"Drive go carts or ride the ferris wheel at Grandscape, hop on the train and go up to Denton for a burger or ice cream. Go 5 miles down the road to a trampoline park or the sloth experience, that’s all available in the registry," said Reid-Knutson.
All the fun comes at no cost for grieving families because the price of giving is simply finding that spark, a gift, and then giving it back to others with a purpose.
It is something Reid-Knutson knows all too well.
"Our first family came, and she just happened to be a widow with three kids from New York, which is ironic, kind of a full circle moment since it was a trip to New York that the boys and I took to inspire this," she said.
Which is why this has successfully become a place for families across the country to travel and find a reason to smile again.