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“Every Storm”

Jan 182013

Gary Allen has a new song out called “Every Storm (Runs out of Rain)” that strikes a cord with me, especially deep down in my heart. It is not only touching emotionally, but it also has a way of sticking with me mentally as well. There are times when I find myself repeating the chorus of the song over and over in my mind.

“every storm runs, runs out of rain
just like every dark night turns into day
every heartache will fade away
just like every storm runs, runs out of rain”

Grief is kind of the same way, it runs out of strength so what ever storm you are going through slowly fades. With the loss of a child, that grief does and will fade, however it never fully goes away. It looses it’s strength and it’s hold. I will forever miss Samantha, that will never change. There will still be some what might of been moments, uneasiness with pregnancies, and some sadness around special days but as time passes by I will continue to heal and the storm won’t be so strong. With healing I will be able to find joy instead of sadness on those days and a with a renewed perspective I will continue to grow. This storm may never completely run out of rain, but it won’t stay a storm forever. One day it will become a light rain, refreshing the surroundings around me and washing the memories over me. Remember that with every storm things are different. Each takes it’s own path and it’s own time to run out. But, by surrounding yourself by those who understand and letting your voice be heard, you will begin to heal and you can find strength again.

Take a listen to this beautiful song. I hope you can find the strength you need to work through your storm.

Holidays

Holidays & Celebrations No Responses »

Dec 162012

Holidays are a time of joy and celebration, filled with making new memories, celebrating traditions, and spending time with loved ones. Holidays can also be a time of confusion, sadness, and uncertainty if you have lost a loved….recently or years ago. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was that you lost someone special, there is still a tinge of sadness that hits you during the holiday time. If has been recent and someone who has lived a long time, you begin to wonder what will happen to the usual traditions of the holiday time now that they aren’t there to celebrate. If it is someone younger, you sometimes try to figure out ways to start new traditions in their honor and memory.

I have always loved this time of year. All the beautiful lights and decorations to see, decorating my house, and spending extra time with family. With all the beauty that this time of year has, I am no stranger to loss during this time of year as well.

This is our second Christmas without Samantha…though she is always in our hearts, it stills feels a little different. While we remember Samantha, we also celebrate Timothy who’s arrival will come in April. I also see a change coming this holiday season as it is our first holiday without my grandfather, whom passed away in August this year. Also, I see some new traditions beginning to grow as families grow and kids get older. Some of the change will be tough at first, but at the same time some of the change will be good. There still is a special magic to this time of year and deep in our hearts we can still feel it.

I wish you a blessed holiday season, strength when you need it most, hope to keep you going, peace to be able to feel at ease, and time…time to spend with loved ones and time to reflect. Happy Holidays!

A Flood of Emotions-Grieving, Healing, & Trying Again

Healing, On Grief, Pregnancy After Loss No Responses »

Jun 282012

I have been thinking on and off throughout the day about how to begin and write this post. And once beginning, I ended up walking away for a little while and did a little cooking to refocus my thoughts. For whatever reason when I am cooking my thoughts seem to come together better and then I am ready to write. The same thing happens when I go for walks. This post is on emotions. Sounds simple right? But it seems to become more complicated when you loose a child and when you begin to try to get pregnant again. Something that becomes more intricate because everybody grieves differently. There are some people out there who just get it, others who try, and yet others who never truly understand.

Emotions are a complicated thing. I have experienced emotions that I have never really experienced since Samantha died. I am not the jealous type, but in the early stages when I saw others that were pregnant it made my heart ache. I so wanted to be pregnant again. To be able to bring home a healthy baby. They had something I wanted. I learned to move past this by telling myself that I didn’t know their story. Maybe it was easy for them to get pregnant, but maybe it wasn’t. Or maybe they were facing similar trials like I was. I didn’t know their story and what led them to where they are now. This seemed to to help and as time passed the feeling lessened. Eventually it went away.

I never knew before now that you could be happy and sad at the same time. Overall, there were times…even multiple days in a row that I would be sad for what seemed to be the whole day through. However, looking at an individual day or moment in the day I was able to recall being happy and laughing. This was one of the hardest things for me. My child died, I am grieving but yet it is okay to smile, laugh, even find happiness and joy.

The decision to try again came with a flood of new emotions. Sometimes overwhelming, sometimes confusing, sometimes just plain scared. I have been learning different ways to de-stress and refocus. I have been placing my energies into walking more, doing more creative projects, organizing, and spending time with people who mean a lot to me. I have people tell me so much to not think about it. This only caused me to think and focus, even obsess over it. This is why the refocusing. I have to leave it up God. It will happen when the timing is right.

I can only imagine the emotions that will come when do get pregnant again. Joy, happiness, excitement. Scared, nervousness, fear, worry. Sometimes the thought of being pregnant terrifies me a little. I believe this feeling comes from having experienced the death of our daughter. There are so many different outcomes and it can seem terrifying, scary, or overwhelming. It is my belief that when do get pregnant again I have the comfort of knowing that we have a phenomenal support system around us. Sure there will be times of nervousness, but knowing we are surrounded will bring a sense of peace to help lessen that feeling.

And so continues the flood of emotions.

Sometimes I Wonder

Healing, On Grief, Pregnancy After Loss 4 Responses »

Jun 202012

As we move throughout life there are always times we wonder. It seems that when there is change it cause us to wonder more. When the change is welcomed, the wondering seems to provide a positive exciting spin on things. However, when the change is not well received or completely unexpected the wondering seems to take on a different spin.

When I found out that we were pregnant I was very excited. That excitement lead me to wonder what our family would be like. We were going from two of us to three. What would our little one look like? What would their personality be like? What would it be like to be parents? Were we really ready for this? All of this provided excitement and joy, as well as some nervousness. We were going to be first time parents.

When I found out that there was no longer a heartbeat the excitement turned into shock and denial. I began to wonder what happened. What did I do wrong? How am I going to get through this? How are we going to get through this? What next? As I began to move through the grief and healing I began to wonder what might have been. As we approach a year from the due date, I can’t help but to wonder what things would have been like had Samantha made it to full term. How different the past year and half would have truly been.

Now, as we have made the decision to try again, I find myself and my mind wondering a bit. Or, more accurately, a lot. I wonder what I can do to make things turn out differently. As each month goes by, I wonder why it’s taking so long to get pregnant again and if I was meant to be a mother to children on earth.

There is nothing we did wrong and what happened was completely out of our control. I’m not going to lie, it does suck. There isn’t a day that goes by that I wish to have Samantha down here with us instead of up in heaven. But as time goes by I am trying to learn from it. I may never truly know why this all happened, but there is a lot I can take away from it. It all has provided me with a different perspective on life. I can’t change what happened. And I will still wonder.

The Next Hurdle

Healing, On Grief No Responses »

Jun 132012

I am choosing to call this a hurdle. Some see it as a “the dreaded question”, which is not to say that I haven’t thought of it that way. I recently had a change of perspective after talking to a friend. What is this hurdle? This question?

Do you have any children? It is a simple question which leads to a simple response…yes or no. However when you experience a miscarriage or stillbirth, the question is no longer simple. Sometimes you want to say yes and sometimes you want to say no. It all depends on your own healing and grieving process. It also depends on how you feel and your own thoughts on the subject.

For me, I hear myself screaming from inside yes, yes I do. However, on the outside, with hesitation, out comes a um no. It tears my heart to say that. But, more often then not, if I don’t know the person I don’t want to get in to the whole story. I am not sure why this has been. It is probably because I don’t want to make someone uncomfortable. It’s weird, I can put it into words and put it out on my blog. But when in the moment, something stops me. This is my hurdle.

I am not going to lie…part of me wants to just say screw it and when people ask, say yes. But, the part of me that tries to not make people feel uncomfortable, is very hesitant about doing that. Maybe it’s because of the slew of questions that could follow and how does one answer them. Like, how many, how old,what’s their name(s)? I know it’s best to be honest, but sometimes it is hard. Miscarriages and stillbirth are not black and white. There becomes a lot of gray that goes with it.

In my mind the answers are simple…yes, I have a child. She was 17 weeks old and her name is Samantha. Now, the hurdle…saying it to others, even if they don’t know our story yet. Jumping this hurdle will be tough, but I believe that it is something that I need to do. It is another step in the healing process of grief. Who knows, maybe it will open up a connection as well.

Let Yourself Be Happy

Healing, On Grief No Responses »

Mar 112012

But I am grieving, how can I be happy? Is it possible to do both? If I am happy, does that mean that I hurt any less?

Have you had these questions cross your mind throughout your grief journey? I sure have. When I was first on this roller coaster ride called grief I would wonder how could I ever be happy again. Once those little rays began to push through…the smile here, the laugh there I began to wonder does this mean that I am hurting any less or that I am done grieving or am I taking something away from Samantha.

The short answer to this is..yes, it is okay to be happy, to smile, to laugh. You need to let yourself be happy, it is okay. It doesn’t mean you aren’t still grieving and it won’t take away from the memory of your little one. Your little one will forever be apart of you whether it is a good day or a bad day, whether you are smiling or crying. Learning how to be happy once again is a part of the journey.

This combination of laughing while feeling like I was about to cry, being happy while being sad was…well it was kind of weird. It is amazing what we feel and how quickly it can change. I remember many years ago after my grandmother’s funeral we had just finished up dinner with all the family at the family bar. We had so many tears in the morning and so many laughs that night. When we left dinner my brother and I got into a snowball fight that later had my dad joining in. Yes, we said good bye to a family member but there was a burst of happiness that made it’s way through that day.

As you go through the days little burst of happiness will begin to come through. Find the things that can make you feel happy-a hobby, a book, a cup of coffee. Whatever it may you need to let yourself be happy too. Those around you who truly support you will understand and recognize that it is okay to have the grief and the happiness.

After loosing Samantha my comfort was a cup of coffee. Now, when I say coffee I mean one of those fru fru coffees. It didn’t matter how terrible the day was, getting my hands on that cup brought a small sense of peace. All be it a brief moment at first, but it was something. As time went by and the weather turned to Spring my happiness was found in photography. Then through writing and photography. Seeing a dragonfly ever now and then was the best source of happiness. It meant Samantha was closer by. My healing and happiness has come through taking pictures and writing about my journey.

Some day, down the road you too will find the things that can make you happy again. It is there just waiting to push through. When you are ready, let yourself be happy. It’s okay.

Heaven’s Nursery

Healing 1 Response »

Mar 042012

I have always believed that those who leave Earth go to heaven. Family, friends, and pets all have a spot in heaven when their time comes. I have come face to face with loss over my 30 years of life. I have lost three of my 4 grandparents, my baby girl, and several pets. I have learned that things change when you loose someone close to you. I have also learned that grief is different depending on who you loose. For my grandparents I was in a state of shock for part of the time, attended the funeral, felt sad, and continued on with life. When I lost pets I was sad, but moved forward rather quickly. I was comforted to know that they were in heaven now, a safe place.

When we lost Samantha the grief was totally different. A year later I still grieve. It has taken on many different shapes and form, but it is always a part of me. There was a part of me that knew she was in good hands, she was in heaven. However, it was hard for to accept that she was there. Unlike like my grandparents’ lives or even my pets, her life was much shorter. Even though her life was shorter, she deeply touched me in ways that only the loss of a child can do. At the cemetery there is a special place for all the children who are buried, it made me wonder if there is a special place for all the little one’s gone way to soon to heaven.

I was given the following poem by a good friend of mine. She has helped me a great deal through all of this. She lost her little one many years ago and one of the helpful things she said to me right away was “Benjamin is up there helping Samantha. She will be in good hands.” The poem “Heaven’s Nursery” has helped to create a visual perspective on what it is like for Samantha up in heaven.

Heaven’s Nursery

Author: Unknown

In Heaven there must surely be
A special place,a nursery
Where ‘little spirits’ not fully grown
Go to live in their Heavenly home.The angels must attend with love
Tiny spirits on wings of doves,
The choir of angels must sing lullabies
Maybe quiet their tiny cries.

The Father must come by each day
To cuddle and play in a special way
These tiny spirits left earth too soon
Little ones called Home from the womb.

These sparks of life did not perish
But came to the Father’s love to cherish,
To grow and be taught in his own arms
Safely away from all earthly harm.

The comforter was sent to earth at once
To the parents who lost their little one
Their hearts so ache,their arms feel empty
The question ‘why’ seems so tempting.

Then all at once in the midst of tears
There comes a peace that stills the fears
The parents share the Father’s own need
To hold their tiny spirit being.

They relinquish their own desperate hold
And release their baby to the Father’s fold,
Then comes an angel to whisper the truth
Of a nursery in Heaven bearing rich fruit.

Of tiny spirits chosen to worship the Father
A place that couldn’t be filled by another,
Called to be spared from the struggles of earth,
Chosen to be one of Heaven’s births.

So Father,whisper words of love from me
To our unborn ‘life’ in your nursery

Forever A Part of Me

Healing, On Grief No Responses »

Feb 262012

There are so many different perspectives or analogies on the loss of a child and grief. I have heard it compared to the seasons, weather, a book, and so much more. The following poem really struck me, especially near the end when it talks about strength and now being able to face anything. I also like how it talks about how the loss has made me the person I am today.

To some it may seem like a I am different person and to others it may not. But to myself, I feel different. I look differently at the world around me. I don’t expect. I hope. I hope that one day our family will grow. I hope that I can help others through their grief and healing process. I hope that people will begin to truly understand what it is like to loose a child. I hope to watch my dreams soar.

Shoes

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in other’s eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some women are like me and ache daily as they try to walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so that they don’t hurt quite so much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.

-Author Unknown

On Grief

Healing, On Grief No Responses »

Feb 192012

I wanted to share something I found on grief that came across. It has been helpful to me to read and hear, so I thought I would share.

I came across a piece by Lesley. I like how she puts grief and healing into simple, but powerful words. “I need to be kind to myself and give myself permission to do what I needed to do to make it through, even if that means saying no. Grief is unpredictable, you can’t explain it, you can’t always control it. There is no right way or wrong way to do it and no two people do it the same way.”

Saying no has been hard for me, especially when at work. It wasn’t until I gave up my classroom that I gained a stronger voice. Becoming a building sub has given me a sense of freedom in so many ways and has helped to me really take care of what I needed to. I had a tendency to push the emotions down as far as I could and submerse myself at work. By the end of the Summer I realized I wasn’t any good to any one and I wasn’t taking care of myself well. Now, if it doesn’t fit into my schedule or with the direction I am trying to head, the answer is “no”.

Grief is so unpredictable. At the beginning I lived minute by minute, even task by task. Over time I have been able to move into hours and days. Now I can live moment to moment. By living in the moment in front of me I am able to really focus on the important things, find the true blessings of that moment, and learn from what it may bring. I am also able to help others and really truly be present.

I think one of the best words I heard was after I returned back to work. It was from a parent in my classroom who had lost a child to Turner’s Syndrome at 27 weeks. Her experience was similar to mine, however she said to me “I know what you are going through, but I don’t. We all grieve differently. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you.” She really understood and I have turned to her a couple of times to help me through things. But like she said, we all go through it differently. There are some things or points we all go through, but how we handle it and how we go through it is slightly different. She also gave me hope because she has a family of 3 children, as well as her little angel baby.

Grief is tough process, but with the right support you can find your way through it all. It takes time and you have to allow yourself to go through it. We all grieve at some point in our lives. Remember to take care of yourself, be honest, and surround yourself by those you can trust & support you.

How to Get Through the Holidays: Part 7: How Will You Honor Your Grief and Pain?

Healing, Holidays & Celebrations, On Grief No Responses »

Dec 192011

How will you honor you grief and pain?

Don’t try to ignore your feelings. It is okay to grieve and it is okay to feel the pain. It is all a part of the healing. It is alright to feel these feelings. The best gift you can give yourself as you go through this is the recognition of what you have had to go through, how you made it through, and with time things will get easier. Yes, there will still be days when you miss your little one, but the pain will slowly diminish and you will begin to see the light. Take some time to explore your past and your future. Help yourself to recognize when you are in trouble and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Think of some ways that you can pamper yourself and what you can do to get in touch with your soul, and be sure to put them down on paper.

This season I will take extra time to light candles and maybe take a few extra-long bubble baths. I will continue to write to help me through my thoughts and feelings. I will take more candid photos of family and friends when I get the chance. I will pick up my camera to get in touch with the beauty around me as well as inside me. Most importantly, I will continue down this path one step at a time, one day at a time and count the blessings that I still have.

So, how will you honor the grief and pain that you may feel? What is your plan? Share below your thoughts, tips, or ideas.

Older Entries

MyInfantLoss.com

“Every Storm”

Holidays

A Flood of Emotions-Grieving, Healing, & Trying Again

Sometimes I Wonder

The Next Hurdle

Let Yourself Be Happy

Heaven’s Nursery

Forever A Part of Me

On Grief

How to Get Through the Holidays: Part 7: How Will You Honor Your Grief and Pain?

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