Most of us have little things that serve as symbols that remind us of those we love. Sometimes we have a special symbol that reminds us of a lost loved one. It seems these things become meaningful symbols even without our planning or intention, but when we see, hear, smell, or taste a certain something our mind immediately connects us with that special person.
Day 10 of Capture Your Grief: Share a Symbol of Your Lost Child
It certainly wasn’t an intentional thing but suddenly the symbol that reminds us of Miranda is the morning glory.
When I was in the last trimester of her pregnancy Vince and I actually chose Miranda’s name. For anyone that knows us this was out of our ordinary. Almost all of our other children were not named until after their birth (and one was even changed in his first week of life). We chose Miranda because it is a family name. However, we couldn’t decide at the time what her middle name would be.
During her first day of life while Vince and I drove from UMMC to JHH while she was transported for the third time in less than 24 hours her middle name became apparent.
We knew whatever was going to happen with her life, that it was meant to bring God glory, we named her Miranda Gloria.
When we went to purchase the monument for her grave-site we didn’t know where to begin. No one ever thinks they’ll need to pick a monument for the grave of their child. There are thick catalogs of designs and it is overwhelming. We flipped through the book not even knowing what we were looking for and then we found it.
There was a stone simply marked with a cross wrapped in morning glories.
It was perfect and beautiful. We both agreed right away that we had found what we didn’t know we were looking for.
In our backyard we garden using the square foot gardening method. I have given a 4’x3′ bed each to the boys and girls to plant and work together. This year the girls planted their box very… unplanned. There were clumps of seedlings sprouting all over and none in need squares. Towards the end of the summer as we neared Miranda’s first birthday the clumps of plants that had grown in their box had started to bloom.
Their garden box is covered in tangled vines of purple morning glories.
Friends of ours who live out of state and those that have been traveling have taken pictures or told me of seeing morning glories and immediately thinking of Miranda and praying for our family.
I know we won’t see them year-round. But it warms my heart to know that each year on her birthday we can expect some beautiful blooms to remind us of her birth and life.
What symbol reminds you of a lost loved one?
**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.**
These posts have been so beautiful, even as the subject is so tinged with pain. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much. It’s been a blessing to share in this way during a month that would otherwise be very difficult.