October is a month of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness. It is a time to reflect on the grief journey and to spread the message that you do not need to grieve in silence or alone.
Last October I participated in a 31 day photo challenge (Capture Your Grief) from CarlyMarie of Project Heal. I am going to join the journey again this month. I will link you to last year’s posts as well. I hope to give insight to what the process looks like one year later. What it looks like after the blessing of a rainbow/redemption baby. I want to give a peek at how ‘normal’ is so greatly misunderstood.
Day 1: Sunrise
We’re now entering the third year of our grief journey. Some things are very different than the early days of loss, but other things are still the same.
I am still not a morning person. However, this September while on vacation on the Outerbanks of North Carolina there were a number of mornings that I woke early to indulge in the peaceful sights and sounds of the sunrise on the beach. It was a chance to reconnect with God in some moments of quiet, when my heart was greatly overwhelmed with Miranda’s birthday that was soon to arrive. It was a chance to escape the ‘busy’ of the hours ahead of us and just BE.
I used those sun-kissed, God-breathed moments to write my daughter’s name and the name of others who are greatly missed and gone too soon. On the final morning the rest of my family joined me and we all enjoyed the amazing view.
If you are on a grief journey (even if your loss was not infant/child loss), I encourage you to participate in this challenge. There is a wonderful opportunity to grow and heal through creativity.
Do you have a creative way in which you process your heart’s emotions? Will you share your ideas with us?
**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, but I will also be posting our everyday ‘life’ posts, because our lives are truly a mix of it all. Thank you for your thoughtful understanding while I share my heart and life this month.**
Just beautiful Lisa. Tears in my eyes thinking how beautiful and emotional those early mornings on the beach much have been. Thank you <3 Beautiful captures.
Thank you for sharing your story. The encouragement that we aren’t alone in grief and loss is more help than you could imagine.
I’m so sorry that loss is a thread we share. Praying that you do feel encouraged that it isn’t a solo journey. It isn’t a desired sisterhood, but it is a strong one. Much love to you.