Category Archives: Hope Mommies

Charity: Hope Mommies

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The final organization I want to talk about this month is about something that is very close to my heart. If you haven’t been reading this blog very long, mainly for my book or film/tv reviews, you may not know that I am a loss mom. Before I had my kid, I was pregnant three different times. I had one miscarriage and two stillbirths before my rainbow baby.

After my first stillbirth, the hospital presented me with a shoebox filled with sweet encouraging notes, a candle, some lotion, and a sweet letter from another loss mom. That is the main mission of Hope Mommies, to provide support to mothers and families experiencing infant loss.

Speaking specifically about the Dallas chapter, they have a private Facebook groups, meet for dinner about once a month in various parts of DFW, and come together (before COVID, mainly) to put together shoeboxes of support like the one I received at my stillbirth (I actually received another one at my second stillbirth as well. I have been blessed to be able to be a part of some of these gatherings that put together the shoeboxes, knowing how much it meant to me, personally.

And, they usually host an event in October (which is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month) to remember the precious little ones. Sometimes it is a walk, sometimes a balloon release, sometimes it’s just a small service to remember. Plus, they host Bible studies using devotional books that were written by other Hope Mommies.

1 in 4 women experience pregnancy loss at some point in their lifetime. To have organizations like Hope Mommies, a community of women who support each other in their faith in Christ, is necessary. I hope to continue supporting others and walking with them in their journey just as these beautiful women have walked with me.

For more information about this organization, you can visit their website here.

Remembrance Day 2018

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This month is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, and this Monday, October 15th, it will be Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  In 2016 and 2017, Michael and I have spent this day with the pregnancy loss community in a balloon release.

This year, we won’t be participating publicly, but we are going to light our candle on the day.  At 7pm CST, we plan to light a candle for each of our daughters to remember them.  This is the time set aside for all loss families to light a candle and remember together, no matter where they are.  I would encourage you to light a candle and remember with them.  It means so much to have my daughters remembered.  And I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.

If you are a loss mom or dad, you are loved and your children are loved.  You are not alone, and we grieve with you.

Hope Moms Balloon Release

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This weekend, Michael and I attended our second Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Balloon Release.  Last year, it was connected with a walk, but this year they just did the balloon release, which was still pretty special.

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It was extremely windy, so I had Michael in charge of the balloons.  We had two pink balloons for each of our daughters.  They had pink, blue, and yellow available.  Yellow balloons were generally for the babies who passed before the gender was known.

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Of course, as they were flying away, I was just overwhelmed.  So many little, loved ones were being celebrated in that park.  It means so much to me to know that I have a community of families who have been there.  I’m also thankful for my own community, all of you, who have been through this journey with us.

Spreading Hope

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This week has been crazy with the new dog.  Both Michael and I have forgotten how much work a one-year-old dog can be, but it’s getting better.  It’s really nice that he’s super smart.  I look at it as practice for being on your toes when a baby comes into our family.

If you are just joining this little story, I would invite you to check out my About page, so that this post will make a little more sense.

When I was in the hospital with my first stillborn daughter, a box was given to me by the nurses.  And the second time I was in the hospital saying goodbye to another daughter, I received another one.  They were from a group called Hope Mommies that is here in Dallas.  It’s a Christian support group for women who have had pregnancy loss or young infant loss (usually a year or under).  I attended a walk last October that was hosted by this group.

Well, last Saturday, I met up with some of the girls who were a part of this group, and we put together the Hope boxes, similar to the one I received during my losses.

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We formed an assembly line, filling each box with books, candles, tissues, bookmarks, tea, and chapstick, among other things.

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And after all of the boxes were filled, we each sat down and wrote notes to the women who would receive these boxes.  Most of these notes and boxes will go to local hospitals to be given to women just like me.  I tried to keep that in mind as I wrote a note to these precious mamas.  It was a lot more emotional that I thought it would be.

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If you know someone who has recently gone through a pregnancy loss, Hope Mommies has a Facebook page that you can join.  You will have to go through the admin, though, because the group is very protected, especially the forums.  I’m so glad to be a part of something that can both support and give opportunities to support others.

A Walk To Remember

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This past Saturday was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  Michael and I decided to do something different this year, and we participated in a walk hosted by Hope Mommies of Dallas, a pregnancy and infant loss support organization.

There were so many people there, honoring their little ones.  We saw friends from church who had experienced stories similar to ours.  I realized that this walk held so much symbolism.  We all have walked this journey, and are continuing to walk this journey, but we walk it together.20161015_091241

After the walk, they had a balloon release, which was absolutely beautiful.  I was very emotional as I watched the balloons float away.

I couldn’t help but think, as the balloons bobbed and danced and floated away, that all of these children were together, dancing in the presence of Jesus, being held in his arms until the day we will all be reunited again.

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