Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Marzullo.
Hi Christine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My dad. My inspiration. The little things about him are the big ways I still feel his love almost 20 years after he passed away unexpectedly- little things I remember, little ways I feel connected to him still: Lake Geneva sunsets, walks on the beach, pennies from heaven, songs playing on the radio at the perfect time dreams. I can feel a hug. On April 19, 2004, my life changed in an instant when he passed. He was the strongest and most intelligent person I knew, and I couldn’t wrap my head around this grief taking over my spirit. The loss made an imprint on my heart, one I have filled with hope and connection to him in the way his love and spirit live on and inspire me. I knew I couldn’t let go. And that I didn’t have to. I just had to find new ways of living with his spirit. Instead of learning to live without my dad, I learned to live with his love shining through me, giving me strength and hope. One of the things that was important to me after he passed was giving back in his honor. In my efforts over the years, I felt it was important to include others who have lost a loved one so they could have the same opportunity to experience the peace I was longing for.
It quickly became my passion to find tangible ways to celebrate hard anniversaries and holidays with my family. I wanted my children to grow up knowing his spirit, even if they had not known him, feeling grateful that his love surrounded us instead of only sad that his body was gone. There are reminders that he’s with us always, signs. Reminders are the signs. A sparkle of hope is knowing your loved one is with you. A penny from heaven that catches your eye, a meaningful song at just the right time, repeated numbers, a license plate, so many little moments that give you the good chills and make you look up and smile and say I knew that was you! We look for them every day and find comfort in knowing the little ways he is with our whole family. We are Together at Peace with Papa.
Over the years, I have created philanthropic projects and hosted events with family and friends to create a community that honors our loved ones who have passed away. Together at peace is a place to connect and inspire others to share the light that still shines in their lives and spread it, to inspire hope every day after a loved one passes away – for you, for them, for us. We are in this together.
Our mission is inspired by our loved ones who have passed away. Letting us know their love has power in our lives and the world if we share their stories, support each other, and do good in their honor. The unique love we share while here becomes a legacy in our hearts, and we can continue to let that love grow by doing good and sharing our stories.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges has been walking forward and taking action while the puzzle pieces of my heart and those we serve fall into place. Because we connect the most heartfelt dots when looking back while moving forward, there isn’t much of a gap between those two parts of the process!
Love is the unique imprint on each heart, making grief the most unique and personal journey anyone can experience and rarely put into words. Creating something comforting and hopeful for the world by leaning on my heart’s imprint feels scary at times because I know that the complexities surrounding each loss are innumerable. Still, at the core of our souls, our unconditional love for each other is an unspoken truth we all share. Being flexible while creating the foundation has been crucial to creating a movement that speaks to the hearts of the world. I have always leaned on my faith and trusted the process even when my tears and insecurities felt overwhelming and insufficient to tackle such a personal and challenging part of the human experience. My heart and brain are constantly filled with new and evolving ideas about our eternal love and legacy and how to honor that lifelong journey. Sometimes, I have to pause and listen to the loving community drawn to the mission and let that inspiration guide the next step. I have always known that I needed to keep going in the direction of anything that creates comfort and connection after loss, supporting hopeful bereavement care for the world and creating a space where we all have opportunities to feel together at peace with our loved ones and each other.
We are all in this together, and at each stage in the evolving process, with each new heart I connect with, I can’t say I fully know where it will all end up, but we know we are going somewhere meaningful. Surrounded by remarkable people, staying passionate about an important cause, and feeling the light of the loved ones we honor- Together at Peace continues to raise funds in support of hopeful bereavement care and continuously becoming a hopeful place to inspire all to find ways to live with, honor and share the unique love we carry after our loved ones pass away.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Together at Peace is a foundation with a mission to spread and support hopeful bereavement care for the world- we inspire tangible moments to honor and share the light and legacy of loved ones who have passed away. We are here to inspire ways to live with, honor, and share the unique love we carry after our loved ones pass away. It doesn’t take the pain away, but it has something to do with all the love, and spreading the light that still shines bright has become our passion. Because we have focused on creating a community and an action, whether you have some light to share or need some for yourself, there is a place for everyone at Together at Peace. There is unparalleled strength in togetherness, from inspiring healing and hope to raising funds to support bereavement care efforts. Together at Peace creates comfort and connection after loss as a community, helping heal hearts by doing good to honor our loved ones. Often, after loss, It can be challenging to know how you can continue a relationship with your loved one. Or support someone through theirs. Together at Peace is just that inspiration to live with, honor, and share the unique love we carry after our loved ones pass away.
As an action, together in honor of our loved ones, we do good in their honor in several ways:
- We raise funds for hospitals, hospice centers, and other organizations to support hopeful bereavement care initiatives that are dramatically underfunded and undersupported. Our grants, donations, and financial assistance impact bereavement care- such as supporting scholarship funds for kids going to college after losing a parent.
- We support charities and organizations’ efforts for their requested Together at Peace wish list products: comfort wraps, comfort bears, engraved hope stones, and little things journals). Most recently, we hugged 200 comfort bears and sent 1,400 individual items to the Advocate Council for infant and fetal loss for bereavement support in labor and delivery.
- Comforting Products and Uplifting Events such as Memory Meals support volunteer opportunities for cooking meals, packing parties for wishlist fulfillment, holiday gift purchasing/wrapping for those navigating loss, and supporting Memory Miles like our Daisy walk created by one of our board members. It was to honor her mother on Mother’s Day by bringing together loved ones and sharing “her little things,” a moment her young children could get to know their grandmother with something as simple and personal as enjoying her favorite ice cream.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The thing I love most about our city (Chicago) is the ability to have endless incredible shared experiences- with my friends, with my family, with my kids, and my husband- from a date night comedy show to a concert with my kids to showing out of town friends our stunning lakefront- there are so many ways to engage with the city in connection with loved ones. My least favorite is traffic and parking! What I love most about every city and every person in the world is that the human experience of love and loss is a profound journey that can spread light and hope by sharing our stories and the legacies in our hearts with each other. This shared mission uniquely speaks to the love in our hearts and our desire to make a difference in their honor worldwide for the rest of our lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: togetheratpeace.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/together.at.peace/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/together.at.peace/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/together-at-peace-foundation
- Other: https://www.togetheratpeace.org/foundation#foundationlink
Image Credits
Everything is Grace Photography, Wonder and Awe Photography, Emma Ferreira Photography
