Holiday Grief
Bitter or Better
By: Julie Linck December 4, 2001 was a blessing for our family as we welcomed our 2nd child and first daughter, Mia Suzanne at 38 weeks. Little did we know how quickly our lives would change when she suddenly passed away five days later, to what we learned afterwards was meningitis along with a significant…
Read MoreHolding Onto Hope This Holiday Season
By: Robyn Busekrus On December 6th, we attended the annual Angel of Hope Ceremony in our town of Washington, Missouri. Last year was our first year to participate and the grief was very raw. Being new to the event, we were not sure what to expect. I went through the motions of being there, but…
Read MoreAdd A Blessing: Random Acts of Kindness
By: Heather West When is the last time you made someone smile? Making a person’s day who would have otherwise had a bad day is something that gives us the energy to keep going. Every day I wake up and think, “in what way will I make someone smile today?” and I excitedly wait for…
Read MoreBeing a Father With an Asterisk
By: Christopher C. Natsch I’m a father who lost his son. That statement should stand on its own. But, for me and for many other dads that I’ve talked with, it’s just not that simple. As a father who suffered a loss due to stillbirth, there was a time that I felt as if that statement…
Read MoreThree Words
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was determined to have a natural, unmedicated labor and delivery. You see, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I thought such things were important. I assumed that getting to my third trimester meant that the baby would live and that…
Read MoreYou are a Mother Worth Celebrating
By: Tiffany Elder We were sitting at the dinner table having a conversation we never thought we would have. We were two months removed from our miscarriage. The couple we met with had their miscarriage just weeks prior to our meeting. Someone paired us with this couple to offer support, but it felt as though…
Read MoreMother’s Day With Empty Arms
By: Heather West As Mother’s Day approaches I often hear the words “you’re still a mom,” as much as those words are very true, if I am honest I’m not sure how they make me feel. Am I proud to be a mom? ABSOLUTELY, with everything I have, but are those words supposed to make…
Read MoreRemembering on Mother’s Day
By: Rachael Fast My first Mother’s day was May 8, 2011. Exactly two months after my daughter had been born sleeping. It was an incredibly difficult day, not only was it my first mother’s day and the day Elaina should have turned 2 months old, but it was the day the denial and numbness wore…
Read MoreA History of Mother’s Day
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth I found out I was pregnant with my first baby on Mother’s Day. We were in the middle of a home remodeling project and the house was a mess, but I remember showing those two pink lines to my husband and him sweeping me up in a big hug. It felt…
Read MoreNew Ambitions
By: Becca First off, Happy New Year to everyone!! I hope that in 2018 you are able to find comfort in the little things that matter, and find ways to deal with those that cause you pain. This is achievable, with the right support and mind-set, I am sure of it. Christmas is, of course,…
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