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She and her husband, Brian, who have four living children, have lost three babies — two to miscarriage and a little girl, Molly, in a stillbirth.
"We were able to have a funeral and memorial service for (Molly), but the miscarried babies had nothing," Waltman said last week. "It felt like they didn't count and, in society, they don't count. I felt in my heart that these babies can't be forgotten."
In an effort to create a place where mothers like herself could grieve and celebrate the lives of their lost babies, Waltman founded the Lancaster Garden of Hope project in 2002.
After seven years of planning and fundraising, the garden will be completed next month on a patch of donated land in the Watson Run Development on Route 340 in Intercourse.
"This is a place where (the babies') lives can be counted," Waltman said. "I wanted something that reflected my belief that my babies were OK in heaven."
The local Garden of Hope will be the 20th of its kind in the world, Waltman said. The only other one on the East Coast is in Florida.
According to Waltman, about 1 million babies in the United States are lost each year to miscarriage and stillbirth, making for an "incredible need" for more areas like the Garden of Hope.
Waltman's desire to help other families coping with early infant death began after she lost her third child.
As she went through the grieving process, Waltman kept a journal. When one of her friends faced a similar situation, Waltman gave her the journal to help her work through the loss.
After seeing the impact it made in her friend's life, Waltman self-published her journal to help other grieving mothers. Since its 1999 publication, "A Rose in Heaven" has sold more than 15,000 copies.
"I'm just amazed by how many people latched onto the book and have been interested in the Garden of Hope," Waltman said.
Practically everything needed to create the garden has been donated, with numerous businesses and construction companies offering their service and materials at no cost.
"People just want to be a part of it," Waltman said. "That's why it is a community project."
The main fixture in the garden will be the "hope sculpture." The tinted bronze statue depicts Jesus holding a small baby wrapped in a tunic. With his other arm, Jesus holds the hand of a young woman sitting beside him.
The rock the woman is sitting on was designed with enough room for a person to sit and look directly into the face of Jesus.
"It really gives affirmation that the baby is just fine, as he holds it tenderly," Waltman said of the sculpture. "It's not one of those depictions of Jesus that makes him look almost scary — there is a tenderness and gentleness about him."
The sculpture was created by Beverly Paddleford of Wyoming, who makes the sculptures featured in Cabela's sporting goods stores.
Surrounding the hope sculpture, four memorial walls will hold plaques that families can purchase to honor their lost babies.
"It testifies that their baby's life counted, and that has brought tremendous hope and healing to families," Waltman said.
The engraved, stainless steel plaques can be purchased for $45 from the garden's Web site, www.lancastergardenofhope.com. The purchase price covers their cost, with about $5 going to the garden's maintenance.
In addition to the hope sculpture and memorial walls, the garden will feature a gazebo for reflection, a small, bubbling fountain, symbolic plantings and promise stones inscribed with Bible verses about God's love.
A dedication ceremony will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. June 14 with a special service beginning at 6 p.m.
The service will include a brief history of the garden, music, recognition of local businesses that donated to the project, a reading of the babies' names on the walls and a prayer of dedication.
Plaque orders received by June 3 will be included in the dedication ceremony. All orders placed after the deadline will be installed afterward.
Those interested in following the garden's progress can go to lancastergardenofhope.blogspot.com for updates. Donations to the Garden of Hope can be directed to Waltman at bdwaltman@juno.com.
E-mail: smweaver@lnpnews.com
