Life After Loss
Dad’s Arms Are Empty Too
By: Nikki Grayson Swollen eyes, pink tinged cheeks, and a steady stream of tears. Dark circles under the eyes, a solemn face, and forced words of strength. The definition of a newly bereaved mom and a newly bereaved dad. Yet we both are experiencing the same hurt and shared grief, the expectations are so different…
Read MoreWhen ‘Happy Father’s Day’ Has a New Meaning
By: Steven Lied Happy Father’s Day. These are three words that have taken on a new meaning since the loss of my son, Asher Ray Lied. As I reflect on Father’s Day in my life, I find myself remembering when I was a kid and all of the things that we did for my dad…
Read MoreDear First Trimester Loss Mama
Healing can take time. Remember always that you are strong and brave. Remember you are a mother.
Read MoreBack to Normal
By: Ann-Marie Ferry When normal seems on its way And tears have now ceased When all the thoughts in my head Have settled in a calm place The flood gates open Destroying my glimpse of peace When my mosaic heart is crumbling And I can’t take a breath When tears start in my throat Burning…
Read MoreWhat Medical History Doesn’t Say: The Loss of Hopes and Dreams
By: Ann-Marie Ferry Jon pulls the car up to the door of the hospital. I know where to go and what to do. I’ve done this many times before. He drives off to find a parking spot and I waddle towards the elevators. As I wait with several other people for that “ding,” I feel…
Read MoreThe Bittersweet Song of a Wren
By: Shirley Brosius The trill of a jenny wren still sends a pang of sadness through me. Many years ago, 45 to be exact, my youngest child, my only daughter, died a few hours after her birth. It was a chilly spring, and as I hung out laundry, a jenny wren sang from a tree.…
Read MoreQuiet Heroes
By: Jennifer Haake I spent many years in a clinical capacity in healthcare. I don’t think anyone would ever disagree that nurses are the unsung heroes of medicine. For a newly bereaved parent, they are often the ones to shape where the journey begins. In my case, I was laying on a stretcher getting my…
Read MoreStill a Mother’s Day: Honoring Motherhood During the Pandemic
By: Keisha Wells Thirteen years ago, I faced my first Mother’s Day without my sons—just 29 days after they took their first and last breaths. Although a bitter-sweet celebration, I was gently supported by family and received thoughtful gifts and love on this premiere day in my motherhood. The first of so many days I…
Read MoreA Letter to the Newly Bereaved Mom on Mother’s Day
By: Kayla Leibner Dear Mom, I know you’re not the kind of mother you imagined you would be, but that doesn’t make you any less of a mother. In fact, you are the strongest kind of mother. Your baby lives in heaven instead of in your home. You hold your baby in your heart instead…
Read MoreMothering Each Day
By: Robyn Busekrus The birds are singing and the sun is shining. When I turn the calendar to May, it brings sadness. I say to myself, “Here we go again.” This month, we honor mothers and for those of us who have been on this loss journey it is difficult. This May, my son would…
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