It's Been a Year

November 18, 2006 marked one year since I discovered that my precious Elyana died in my womb. For some reason I thought I'd skirt the one year anniversary blues. Maybe I figured that I was a "pro" ... I've experienced the deaths of two infant sons, so I knew what to expect third time around, right? Not quite.

The date snuck up behind me actually. I thought I was just tired or overworked from trying to promote Stolen Angels. Then depression kicked in, but I attributed that to an ongoing disagreement with a couple of family members. I couldn't explain the uncontrolled crying or the ripping of my heart until I saw the calendar and realized I had the "blues"!

The troubling thing for me is that even with all my "know how" I had actually forgotten all the lessons I learned (and taught) about facing the one year anniversary. This tells me that every person should have a friend who can encourage and uplift them before, during and just after those landmark moments whether it be the birth anniversary, day your baby died or the expected due date.

I published more tips in Stolen Angels but, perhaps someone will have need of a few now. Here are three tips to get you through the one year blues:

Reach out to other hurting parents. Turn your hurt out, don’t keep it in! Grief will isolate you, if you let it. Just like you, other grieving parents need someone to hear about their pain as part of the healing process.

Continue to celebrate your life. Make a choice to enjoy your time on this earth. Any child would want that for their parents.

Find meaning in life. Sometimes staying busy through your usual job no longer cuts it. Aggressively seek out the meaning for your life. Try not to focus on “what happened?” but on “who am I now?” Neither of these answers comes easily, but asking what happened? may leave you stranded in the past while who am I now? speaks to your future.

Stolen Angels in the News

Recently, a wonderful news article was written about our book, Stolen Angels on Friday and it has been picked up by countless newspapers, nationwide. Check out the article that started it all right here. If the link doesn't work, type in www.theleafchronicle.com and then type a portion of the following headline into the search tool on the site: "Mother forms support group for would-be parents at Fort Campbell."

If you want to read more, the story was picked up by the following news organizations:

The Associated Press
News Channel 5, Nashville
Army Times
Kentucky News
Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY
News Channel 19, Huntsville, AL
Online City Guide, Honolulu, HI
The Ledger Independent, Maysville, KY

Interesting Article: Miscarriage and Pesticides

Take a peek and do a check in your area to see if where you live may be affecting you or your baby's health.

http://www.mercola.com/2001/feb/28/pesticides_miscarriage.htm

On another note, I've been neglecting the blog for a bit. I apologize to all the loyal readers. I tell ya, my baby, Stolen Angels, is about to be born and I've gotten caught up in the excitement and preparation for her arrival! This book has been embraced by sooooo many! I pray that it'll be a blessing for all who seek answers between its covers. Check us out at www.stolenangels.com

Hugs!