My Dearest Dolly

By: Heather West My dearest Dolly, How do I put into words the many ways you changed my life? There is so much I want to say to you, but I was not granted with the blessing of telling you in person. Instead I am forced to unwillingly put on layers upon layers, bundle up,…

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A Letter to My Daugther

By: Kathleen Berg Dear Valerie, Your Birthday is almost upon us again. This time of year is incredibly hard to get through. It is hard to believe that almost eight years ago you came into this world, were here but two short hours, and were quickly gone. I stared upon your face and only held…

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Dear Hadley

By: Leslie Steele Dear Hadley, It’s been 19 months. 19 months ago we got to meet you and be amazed by you. We always knew you were special, incredible really, but meeting you just confirmed it. Daddy and I switch off between imagining you as you would be here at this age and what life…

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Hope

By: Mary Farr A Reason to Hope I said to the night that stood at the gate of the new year, “Give me a light that I might tread safely into the dark and unknown.” And a voice said in reply, “Put your hand into the hand of the one who made you, and your…

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A Grandfather’s Grief

By: Bob Jerden, grandfather to Joshua Ryan Bruenning Our first grandson was born on Good Friday, April 21, 2000, about two months premature. We got the phone call early in the morning from our daughter, Jenny, and son-in-law, Kurt, to meet them at the hospital. Our ride was quick and quiet. Quick because we were…

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Returning To Work After Loss

By: Marissa Steinhoff My world had stopped, completely shut off for 8 full weeks.  I would sit in my house, avoiding the outside world and the looks of despair from others.  My home was the place I felt most comfortable, most human.  I knew that inside the walls of my home I was loved by…

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Things We Wish Others Understood About Grief And Child Loss

By: Sabrina Ivy Death invaded our lives in a way that has irrevocably changed us. We can never go back to who we were before. We are painfully aware of how different we are now. We know what death looks like on our child. We know what death smells like. We know what death feels…

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Chasing Rainbows

By: Angie Wetherell One cannot explain why life takes us on such challenging journeys. For my husband and I, we had 11 miscarriages over a 7 year span. It seemed as though a storm cloud hung over us endlessly.  We had always wanted children and struggled to understand why we kept having miscarriages.  As life…

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