Honoring Your Child
The Soul-Sucking (Or Soul-Saving) Space of Social Media
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth When my daughter died, I dropped off of Facebook. For me, Facebook had been a breezy, easy way to interact with people without getting into any of the harsh realities of life. I definitely used it to present the highlight reel—funny moments, the occasional witty observation, and photos to record the…
Read MoreThe Life of Grief on Social Media
By: Sabrina Ivy There is something cathartic about telling your story. Something healing about sharing your grief. I have a difficult time verbalizing my feelings, but when my fingers touch the keyboard or I pick up a pen it becomes the release for me that I so desperately need. It’s like opening a valve and…
Read MoreA Community Of Support
By: Patti Budnik and Cindy Swain When my husband and I (Cindy) lost our baby, our whole world turned upside down. Although family and friends were a great support in the early days, they soon seemed to move on with their lives and expected us to do the same. They did not know how to…
Read MoreWhat Do I Do with My Love?
Creating a Lasting Legacy After Your Baby’s Death By: Rose Carlson Normally, when a loved one dies, you have much to remember the person by: Photos, cards, clothing and other possessions. These precious items, along with your memories, comfort you and keep your loved one’s memory alive. However, when a baby dies, there may be…
Read MoreA Piece of My Heart Lives in Heaven
By: Shannon Duke When I think about keepsakes, it reminds me of the movie Inside Out. In this movie, we learn Sadness embraced the blues because it was often followed by love from family and friends. I hope you have a treasure or two that you can keep in honor of your angel baby. It…
Read MorePriceless Keepsakes
By: Julie Linck Memories are what exist after a loved one dies. For our precious babies, this is what we grieve the most. We are robbed of the opportunity to create memories and experiences together with our child. So how can we find ways to hold onto this sweet life that was taken much too…
Read MoreProof of Life
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth In a cedar lined dresser drawer in my bedroom, I keep a purple box the closes with a ribbon tie. It contains an impossibly tiny nightie and a sweet little hat that looks like it would fit a doll. These are the clothes my daughter Eliza wore in the hospital, after…
Read MoreTis the season… for grief
By: Sabrina Ivy The stockings are hung. The presents are wrapped. The menu is planned. And your heart is a mess. Not just a little mess. A giant, sticky, crazy, out of control mess. Am I right? You’ve got plans with family. Despite the hell you have experienced you feel obligated to carry on and…
Read MoreBitter 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 More