10/17/2024
October holds a special place in my heart as it’s not only my favorite month with its beautiful Autumnal skies, crisp smells, and change of season, it serves as an Awareness Month for several important causes and organizations that are a part of who I am.
One such Awareness that October brings to light is Pregnancy and Infant Loss, which impacts approximately 1 in 4 women. This is a topic that needs to be spoken of, and educated on, although it is heartbreakingly painful for those impacted both directly or indirectly. Many of us are or know someone who has suffered from Pregnancy or Infant Loss, myself included.
On July 30th, 2015 my beautiful son Colin Philip was born sleeping at almost 32 weeks. The moments we spent with him following his arrival until we said our final goodbyes, are forever etched in my mind and heart. I carry him close to me every day and have found healing in helping others through their loss in small ways of talking with them, saying their baby’s name, and offering them ideas of special ways we remember our own baby throughout the years that bring us peace and integrate the loss into our lives.
If you’ve experienced this tremendous loss, my heart is with you. If you feel comfortable, comment your Angel’s name on this post so that I may light a candle for them this month. If you have not experienced this loss but know someone who has, something as simple as creating a safe space and inviting the conversation to allow them to grieve by talking about their baby can be a tremendous gift to that person; I know it has been for me, if you and the person who sustained the loss feel comfortable. Mentioning their baby’s name does not remind them that their baby has passed; they will never forget. Rather, mentioning their baby’s name reminds them that their baby lived, that they existed, and that their memory will live on as an important part of this person’s life and in the lives of loved ones that surround them.
About a year ago, I met a wonderful woman whose daughter had tragically lost two babies. She shared their family’s story with me and of the ways that her daughter was grieving the devastating losses and remembering her precious babies. She wished to make a special gesture of her love and support to her beloved daughter and commissioned a custom designed shadowbox to display that reflected the essence of a meaningful tattoo her daughter had received as a symbol of the memory of her baby’s lives and her love and the love of her family has for them.
For months we worked together; the client, my designer, and myself to come up with a simple and beautiful design to properly convey the meaning and essence of the tattoo. The top portion of the Angel wings reminded me of the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness ribbon, pink and blue, which was delicately added to the design.
It was a privilege and an honor to be a part of such a meaningful project and to assist in some small way with integrating the losses into their lives. I had the great pleasure of seeing this client again several months later after receipt and met her daughter for whom the box was intended, which was a special experience for me. She was present with her Rainbow Baby. 🌈
“Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone.”
