The Pink Shoelace Foundation
Walk with someone.
Different losses. Different grief.
Some people wear a pink shoelace because they are carrying a loss. Some wear one because they are walking beside someone who is. Both are the same idea: you are not taking these steps by yourself.
Two meanings, one lace
The shoelace means two things, and both are true at once.
I am grieving
“I wear pink shoelaces because I carry someone I love.”
I am walking with someone
“I wear pink shoelaces because I’m walking beside someone who carries someone they love.”
Loss does not have to be a death to be real. It may come from death, divorce, illness, injury, disability, pregnancy loss, the loss of a relationship, a home, a dream, an ability, an expected future, or another meaningful change in someone’s life.
The idea behind the lace
Notice. Ask. Listen. Remember with me.
Notice the lace. It is a quiet, visible signal, not a demand for a story.
Ask, if it feels right. You do not need the perfect question.
Listen. Let the person decide how much, or how little, to say.
Remember with me. Grief does not end when the visits do.
The purpose of the shoelace is not to force someone to explain their story. It creates permission: to notice, to ask, to listen, and to remember.
What walking means
You don’t have to know what to say.
Just let them know you’re here, and you’re not going anywhere. Walking doesn’t mean fixing. It doesn’t mean getting them over it. It doesn’t even mean knowing where they’re going. It means you’re not taking these steps by yourself.
Where this began
This Foundation has a personal origin.
The Pink Shoelace Foundation began with a loss, and with a son named Bailand. Part of who he was is that he noticed people who were hurting, and stayed behind to make sure they were okay. He stayed. And now other people can choose to stay, too.
Walk with someone.