Beloved Reader,
Working for Destiny in Bloom is something that always rocks. In fact I wonder often how on earth I, of all people, ended up getting to be a part of something like this, but there are a few things that I have the privilege in participating in that are especially precious to my heart… One of them is coming up this next week and I am this crazy messy mix of excited and brokenhearted. Excited because we are going to bless hundreds upon hundreds of women and get to touch their hearts in a precious way. Brokenhearted because we bless them by honoring the lives of hundreds upon hundreds of babies who were lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, birth defects, abortion, and other infant loss. Every one breaks my heart.
It started one afternoon in early October last year. I was hard at work, er, um… well, actually I was aimlessly surfing the internet when I came across a song called Beautiful Things. As I listened to the words of the song my heart was arrested. That sounds uber dramatic but it was dramatic. I listened to the song over and over with tears streaming down my face and I could SEE it. I could see this…
What I didn’t foresee was how deep the impact would be, how many women would be touched by simple acknowledgement of their loss. Of acknowledgement that their baby was in fact a real person, a person worth grieving for, a person who mattered.
A Child.
Over the course of a few days I asked women to submit the names/dates of children they had lost, (And yes, we honor the lives of children who were aborted, it’s not officially part Of the National Day of remembrance but here we honor life and we honor healing so we choose to include ALL babies.) then a few girlfriends and I gathered and released the balloons. On October 14th we posted the video of the release.
We had no idea how big the small act of individually naming those babies would be in the hearts of their mothers.
“Thank you…. It gives me a wonderful feeling that I and everyone knows that she existed.”
“You don’t know how much it matters to me to see her name and the loss of her being honored among so many lost babies. I miss her daily and will continue to for the rest of my life.”
“…Today, I believe I cried my first tears for [my] lost babies during your video. I know I have time to spend with the Lord….. again, thank you so much!”
“Thank you so much. I started to bawl when I saw my Meshach’s name show up. I love him and miss him so much.”
“…Watching this video made me cry, but not sad tears. It was more so because finally there is someone who listened to me. Seeing all those names at the end, including my own Baby Fisher, made me truly realize that I am not alone. That means the world to me.”
It was clear to all of us that it was more important than we had realized, this acknowledgement, and so we are doing it again this year.
We are partnering with several different voices, all of which have a heart for women, Beyond Words Designs, Intelligender, and Beautifully Chaotic, my personal blog. Together we are committed to honoring the precious lives of the babies, honoring the grief and healing of their mothers and families, and breaking the silence surrounding babyloss.
On October 14th we will be hosting the We Remember You 2012 One Hour Walk at Capp Smith Park in Watagua Texas where we will have a remembrance event and walk to raise money for something incredibly cool: the Art Card Project.
Registration is FREE and we are again asking for anyone who would like for us to recognize their child by name to submit them to us. All of the babies included in last year’s video are automatically being included.
We have set a goal to raise funds to purchase at least 500 of these Art Cards by BWD’s artist, Stephanie Dyer. She provides these cards below cost (only 1.00 each) to help get them into the hands of women experiencing the loss of a child. We want to distribute them to Dr’s Offices, Hospitals and Birthing Centers. The front of the cards is one of Stephanie’s beautiful pieces called Gone Too Soon and the back will have a message, customized specifically for our project, that expresses sympathy and love as well as offering online resources for the mother’s grief and healing such as the online magazine Still Standing.
We hope that you will join with us, help us honor these lives and break the silence.
You can be a part of it in several ways:
If you have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, SIDS, birth defects or any other form of infant death we would be honored to have the chance to include your child in our remembrance event. You can submit their name here.
You can get more details and find out how to register for this free event at our Facebook Event Page.
If you would like to support the Art Card Project and help us reach out in compassion you can register to walk and gather pledges. (even if you aren’t local!) You can find out how, view the FAQ, and register here. If you would prefer to donate directly you can do so here.
You can help break the silence simply by helping us spread the word about this event, help us reach more mothers who would want to include their baby’s name in the remembrance. One in four women have experienced babyloss, so whether you know who or not, you know someone who has lost a child. You never know who’s life you may touch simply by posting a link for them to submit a name.
Lastly, thank you.
Thank you for helping us reach these precious hearts. Thank you for supporting them. Thank you on behalf of every woman who will be touched because you cared.
Much love,
Melisa Aulds
Co-Director, Destiny in Bloom
The We Remember You Walk 2012 mission statement:
This event exists first to honor the lives of babies lost to miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth, SIDS, birth defects, and any other form of infant loss. We want to honor their short but important lives and to honor the healing of their mothers and families. By recognizing them by name we acknowledge the impact they have had on the world and that they mattered, that they were a person.
Second this event exists to link with other organizations, sites and individuals who have the same passion, creating community and unity and furthering their reach.
Third this event exists to raise money for the Art Card Project, providing comfort and resources for women experiencing a loss in the form of a small card to be distributed by Dr’s offices, Hospitals and Birthing Centers.
Hi! I just found great internet magazine, with many excellent products and low prices. Check it!
incomecashonline.com
Lynnell/Tom Tysl Aug 16,95
Is our miscarriage date
I was 13 weeks along.
I posted through the google doc but do not know what date you wanted
Baby Calfee early loss at just under 6 weeks on my anniversary July 6th 2008 our due date would have been March 2009
Baby Brewer was lost on sept 3, 2007. Due date was march 18, 2008. Thank you including us. This is a great thing!
I had just lost my baby a few weeks previously when you had your balloon release last year. It touched me and my husband so much. I would be honored to be a part of your memorial again this year. I lost my baby on Oct. 4, 2011 at six weeks. Of course, we didn't know the gender for sure, but I was convinced it was a girl so we named her, Kathryn Grace Russell Thank you.