The family and friends that support you through the darkest hours and days make all the difference in your own coping and healing.
Vince and I are blessed to be surrounded with a network of support, both for the month that Miranda was in the hospital as well as in this year since.
Day 11 of Capture Your Grief: Share about your supportive friends and family.
While the network of support we witnessed was abundant and wide there are a few things that will always stand out as things done and said that made an incredible impact on our family in our greatest time of need.
The smallest gestures often provided the biggest blessings.
In the days after Miranda’s birth, when everything was uncertain while doctors searched for a treatment to help her recover we were covered in prayer by all those that knew us as well as people we’ve never met, but one of my friends brought me flowers and congratulated me on the birth of my precious daughter.
Her gift served as a reminder that I could celebrate life.
During that first weekend of Miranda’s life, when it seemed like the world had been turned upside down, dear friends of ours that were expecting their own daughter a week later, showed up at our door with a huge box of groceries and paper products to take our minds off the mundane task of keeping the house stocked.
They handled what we didn’t even have a thought towards.
Only a week out of surgery herself, my mother-in-law stayed at our home for a week to help cover the supervision of our children, enabling Vince and I to be able to come and go to the hospital without having to call anyone for child care. Her and my father-in-law also brought Miranda her first stuffed animal, which sat on her bed from day one and sits on my dresser now.
She sacrificed her comfort and rest to meet our needs.
When I arrived at the church for Miranda’s memorial service I was greeted by a big basket of flowers and plants from the women on Hyena Cart. Two of them were local and came to support us by attending and the rest of them are women I’ve never met face to face, but have shared a connection with for several years online. Some of these women are also fellow loss-moms and I share a connection with them that is invaluable.
Connections can be strong even when only made through long-distance communication.
One dear friend often sends me encouraging scripture and devotional materials. For Christmas she gifted me a small frame with Miranda’s name and its meaning with a verse I’ve continued to cling to. Her frequent mention of Miranda and her prayers always blesses me. She’s hung on through the craziness of it all too. Without this I’d be much harder for everyone else to bear with!
Over and over she reminds me that I don’t have to do this alone.
There are a number of other friends that continue to send me notes letting me know that one of ‘Miranda’s songs’ was playing and they thought of and prayed for us. There were many families in our church that provided meals for us for the month we spent by Miranda’s bedside. There were a few dear friends that put everything on hold so that they could provide childcare for us each day when Vince and I were switching off at the hospital.
Surviving the illness and loss of a child would be nearly impossible without a strong network of support around you. We’re so thankful that God has placed so many people that love us in our lives.
**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.**
<3
Love you sis…