Mother's Day 05/08/2012
 
Next Sunday and this week leading up to it are some of the hardest days on the calender for women who have experience the loss of a baby.  Mother's Day.  A celebration of what you want to be, of what you are - but you don't have anyone in your arms to show to the world what you know deep down - that you are a mother, too.

The Comfort Company has put together a list of "What Grieving Moms Want For Mother's Day" that they have allowed us to post here.  If you know a woman who is grieving the loss of her child, look at these suggestions to see how you can encourage her on this special day.
Add Comment
 
 
There are two Columbia-area support groups meeting tonight:

Memories at 7:00 in the North Tower of Lexington Medical Center

Naomi's Circle Pregnancy After Loss Support (PALS) group at 6:30 in Building D of Spring Valley Baptist Church (91 Polo Road).

For more information on both of these, see our Support Groups page.
Add Comment
 
 
The Naomi's Circle PAL (pregnancy after loss) support group will meet tonight (postponed from last week) at 6:30 p.m. at Spring Valley Baptist Church in Building D (Educational Building).  For more information, e-mail us at naomiscircle@gmail.com or call 803-665-4228.
Add Comment
 
 
I hear that on the Earth below
This is a special season
With lights and songs and gifts and such,
And Jesus is the reason!

In the place I would have lived
Are strings of light that blink and shine,
But you should see the light up here
That glows from Jesus all the time!

In the place I would have lived
Carols play, and special songs,
But you should hear the music that
The angels sing here all day long!

In the place I would have lived,
Gifts are giv’n on Christmas Day,
But you should feel the joy we feel
Because God’s gift is here to stay!

In the place I would have lived,
Tears have flowed because I’m gone.
My family wishes I were there
To see and hear and feel it all.

But in this place where I now live,
It’s Christmas all day, all year long,
And the sights and sounds I’d see with them
Are pure, unblemished by all wrong.

So on this day that would have been
My first Christmas on the Earth,
Mama, Daddy, you need to know
I’m celebrating Jesus’ birth!

When you sing songs to worship Him,
I’m singing with the angels, too.
I’m never closer than when we all
Praise Him for our life anew.

I know that life began for me
Sooner than you thought it would.
I know your hearts are hurting now,
And you would change things if you could.

But in this place, where you’ll come, too,
We’ll be together, forever.
And there will be no more good-byes
When we celebrate Christmas in heaven – together!

By Kristi Bothur, mother of four (one on earth and three in heaven)
Add Comment
 
 
Next Thursday (12/8/11), the Trinity Focus Group will have a speaker for their monthly Trinity Focus Luncheon that will resonate with many of us.  Judi Gatson, a journalist at WIS-TV here in Columbia, will speak about her experience of losing her son, Duce, seven months into her pregnancy, and her story of having her heart healed.  She and her husband are now the parents of Aidan Kash through miracle and blessing of adoption.  Details are below:

Palmetto Center for Women's Trinity Focus Luncheon
Next Thursday, December 8 // Noon to 1pm
Palmetto Club (formerly Summit Club)
The Tower at 1301 Gervais Street, 20th Floor
$20
***RESERVE your spot by calling Belinda Doss at 401-4219.
***Or you can go online right now to the Palmetto Center for Women's website at http://www.palmettocenterforwomen.org/programs-and-events.php to register and pay.
***Each woman who attends will receive a little gift surprise from the Palmetto Center for Women.
Add Comment
 
 
There are two groups meeting this Thursday (11/10/11):

The MEMORIES Support Group for pregnancy and infant loss meets in the North Tower of Lexington Medical Center on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. For more information, contact Corrine Barbian at 803-781-1003.

The NAOMI'S CIRCLE PREGNANCY AFTER LOSS support group meets the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m.  It normally meets at Spring Valley Baptist Church in northeast Columbia, but this month it will meet at the home of a member.  Please call 665-4228 for directions or e-mail naomiscircle@gmail.com.

Add Comment
 
 
This publication is from Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support: http://www.nationalshare.org/Nov-Dec_2011_web.pdf. It talks about grief during the holidays and has many suggestions for how to cope. They have many more resources on their website at www.nationalshare.org.
Add Comment
 
 
The theme for Lexington Medical Center's memorial service on Sunday, October 23, 2011, was "A Time to Remember".  At the beginning of the service, parents were invited to come forward, choose a flower from a selection laid out on a table, and add it to a vase in memory of the baby or babies they had lost - a visual reminder that they are not alone in their grief.  Several personal stories followed, and then a song called "A Cradle of Wings", a CD of which was given to each parent there.  The service concluded with a ceremony by a fountain outside where parents were given glass beads to represent their tears.  They were encouraged to toss one "tear" in the fountain where the sunlight would transform their "tears" into sparkles of beauty.

Thank you, Lexington Medical Center, for valuing the children who went before us, and for reaching out to their parents and loved ones left behind!
Add Comment
 
 
There will be a memorial service to honor and remember babies lost at any stage of pregnancy or early infancy this Sunday afternoon (10/23/11).  It is open to the community and will be held in the auditorium at Lexington Medical Park (2728 Sunset Blvd) at 4:00 p.m.  Sponsored by the Pastoral Care Office at Lexington Medical Center. For more information, and to RSVP, contact the Pastoral Care Office at 791-2033 or e-mail Donna Peele at pastoralcare@lexhealth.org.   Please RSVP if you are going to come to ensure enough refreshments and other supplies are provided for the ceremony.
Add Comment
 
Broken Pieces 10/15/2011
 
In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, I want to share a poem that my friend Jessie wrote in memory of her baby, Jordan.  Picture the broken pieces of glass in a mosaic...

Broken Pieces

A tiny broken body
Inside a broken womb.
Too many broken pieces
For our child to grow and bloom.

With hearts now bruised and broken
Sometimes it is hard for us to see,
But in all these broken pieces
There is such great beauty.

For a beautiful soul now sits
In the presence of God above,
Where all these broken pieces
Are perfected in His love.

Thank you, Jessie, for your lovely words and the reminder that our babies are perfected in heaven.  Blessings on you as you remember Jordan today.
Add Comment