It is no secret that one of my biggest fears in losing Miranda was how we would walk our surviving children through the process of grief.
As adults we have ability to cope in ways that grieving siblings have not yet learned.
It is a great challenge to walk along the path of grief while leading young children through it as well.
Day 24 of Capture Your Grief: Siblings
This is a picture drawn by our 5 year old. It includes Miranda. She draws a lot and almost always includes Miranda in her pictures or writes her name.
If you ask my 10 year old how many children we have, he will respond “6”. Some times those asking will do the head count with their eyes and be confused, but he always includes her.
My 7 year old writes “Miranda” when doodling.
My 9 year old prays for her.
And my 3 year old will often say, “I miss my baby sister Miranda.”
They have not forgotten her, or “gotten over” her loss. Their sister is a forever part of their lives.
The challenge of helping them grief is not always an easy one. Many times we feel at a loss to truly give them what they need in this journey. They are still meeting with child life specialists during our family bereavement support group. They get a chance to meet with other children who’ve lost a sibling.
They get to see that this is the reality for other children as well and they aren’t alone in it.
Along with all their sweet remembrances of her, we also witness the other aspects of grief that aren’t sweet. We see their frustration, their anger, their confusion. Many of the same emotions we feel. However, they can’t always verbalize what they feel inside, so we deal with the physical display of it.
It isn’t an easy journey for any of us and time simply doesn’t make it easier.
**Capture Your Grief is a 31 day photo challenge created by CarlyMarie. For each day of the month during October (Pregnancy/Infant Loss Awareness) bereaved parents are encouraged to share their journey through photographs as a way to share the healing process. I am participating in this series and will resume sharing our homeschool journey, recipes, and life in general in November. Thank you for your thoughtful understanding while I share my heart this month.**
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