If on Tuesday you noticed a brightly colored sign above Kirkland’s I-405 bridge that read “In Loving Memory of Lincoln Hartley,” or pinwheels beside new spring flowers and people being a little kinder – it wasn’t a coincidence.

March 19, deemed Pinwheel Day, was a day to celebrate kindness and love in honor of a little boy’s birthday. Lincoln would have been three years old March 19, but his life was cut short one year ago.

“He just had a really sweet demeanor about him,” said Joie Hartley, Lincoln’s mother. “He could just brighten anyone’s day with his smile.”

Lincoln, born with a deletion and duplication of chromosome 1, was able to spend his short amount of time making huge gains and progress despite some developmental delays. He worked with therapists at the Kindering Center in Bellevue and focused on physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy.

Spinning and batting toys became one of Lincoln’s goals, and some could say he mastered it.

“Once he could do it, he loved it. He would spin anything,” Joie said. “We had a couple of toys that, when they spun, they would make music. He would get those things going super fast.”

For Lincoln’s second birthday, the Hartley’s and their daughter planned to have pinwheels on his cake. Unfortunately, Lincoln died nine days before and his family was forced to pass out pinwheels at the Mormon Latter Day Saints church for his funeral instead.

“We made 400 pinwheels and we didn’t have very many left,” Joie said. “People came and it was into the overflow. I think a lot of it was to support us but he had touched so many people’s lives.”

After numerous tests, it was determined Lincoln’s health was great. No heart conditions or bone density issues – common symptoms of chromosome abnormalities – which is why his sudden death was such a shock.

“We just put him down for a nap on a Saturday and then [Joie] went in and found him in his crib…,” said Shane Hartley, Lincoln’s father. “We called 911 and they worked on him for 20 minutes and tried to resuscitate him …”

Lincoln’s death certificate reads “unexplained death to an infant.” Joie, who works at Mosaic as a special-needs therapist, understands that Lincoln’s death had nothing to do with his developmental delays.

“We feel really grateful that we have faith in God and we know that Lincoln is in heaven and we believe that we’ll see him again,” Joie said. “I think that’s somewhat comforting to know that it’s not forever.”

Although the Hartleys’ past year has been rough, Joie and Shane are overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and support of others.

Whether it is receiving a pinwheel from their daughter’s friend from school or reading a Facebook post from a stranger about how they too have lost a child, the outpour of love for the family has yet to cease.

“You kind of want to become somewhat of a hermit sometimes,” said Shane. “It’s overwhelming and it’s hard at times but it’s amazing how much support we’ve gotten from our friends and people that have been in this area.”

Joie hopes Pinwheel Day prompts people to appreciate how precious life is and not take it for granted. She said she feels there are often so many trivial complaints people have, yet aren’t important in the grand scheme of things.

“I just hope that if anything can come from Lincoln’s life, it would be I hope people will stop and take a moment to appreciate their life and what they’ve been given.”

Shane hopes Pinwheel Day can give other families who have lost children the comfort of knowing they are not alone in their grief.

“I would hope, if anything, that the pinwheels somewhat become a symbol of hope,” he said. “There are people that have gone through this and those children aren’t forgotten.”

To learn more about Pinwheel Day, visit the Facebook Page: PinwheelDayInHonorOfLincolnHartley.