Choose Hope for 2019
October 15
I would imagine most of us didn’t know this date as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day until after we experienced our own loss of a child. Maybe this will be your first year acknowledging this day, and you are wondering what to do, how to honor and remember your baby. As we approach this day, there are three things I want you to know.
You don’t have to celebrate.
You don’t have to do anything. October 15 can just be October 15. There’s no grieving mother’s rule that says this day must be recognized. Not a day goes by where we don’t miss our babies. To us, every day is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. We don’t need a reminder. There doesn’t have to be bubbles, balloons, a remembrance walk, or a special ceremony to make our losses matter. Those things are great if that is what you want to do. But never feel like you have to. You are under no obligation to acknowledge this day. Our precious babies are in the presence of God Almighty, experiencing full joy. Not one of them is counting down the days until October 15, wondering what we have planned. It is absolutely okay not to celebrate this day.
There’s no wrong way to celebrate.
There is no wrong way to celebrate October 15. You can plan a huge event, have a small, family observance time, acknowledge the day on your own, or anything in between. A couple of ways I have celebrated have been with a family balloon release and blowing bubbles with my kids.
For our balloon release, we wrote the names of the hope babies in our family—my daughter, Kinley, my nephew, Max, and my mother-in-law’s loss from many years ago, Baby Blanks. I was leading a Hope Group at the time, so we also included the names of those ladies’ hope babies. Our whole family released balloons as the song, “Good, Good Father” played in the background. It was a beautiful time of remembrance and uniting as a family.
Last year, we purchased a dozen bubble bottles. We wrote the names of different hope babies, including Kinley, on the lids of the bottles. My kids took turns blowing bubbles from each of the bottles in remembrance of each precious baby. I took a video and sent it to the mothers of these hope babies. These hope moms were encouraged, my kids loved being included in the celebration, and it brought a light-heartedness and joy to the day.
The other 364 days still matter.
Whether you choose to celebrate October 15 or not, remember that the other 364 days are just as important. Your loss, your baby, matters every day. You don’t have to wait until October 15 to celebrate your Hope Baby. You can incorporate your Hope Baby into your every day life. Each day you choose joy over sadness and hope over despair, you are honoring your Hope Baby. And when we point others to the hope we have in Christ, the loss we have suffered takes on new meaning. Our pain is not pointless but brings eternal glory to the kingdom of God.
Whatever your October 15 looks like this year, know that you are loved, and your Hope Baby is loved and remembered every day.
In honor of the babies who are now with the Lord
and the parents who so desperately long to see them again,
we invite you to join us as we acknowledge the
National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day on the 15th of October.
THIS YEAR WE ARE OFFERING A T-SHIRT.
SALES WILL BE SEPT. 1 – OCT. 5, 2019.
Purchase a t-shirt for yourself, and invite your friends and family to get one too. All proceeds from t-shirt donations go towards scholarships to our annual retreat. When you buy a t-shirt, you are giving another Hope Mom the opportunity to experience hope and healing. Click here to order yours.)
Adult Sized XS-XL – $25
Adult Sized XXL – $27
Youth Sized S-XL – $15
Toddler Size 2T-5/6 – $ -15
Infant Body Suits 6M – 18M- $ 15
- Stephanie
Hope Mom to Kinley
Stephanie Blanks is married to Matt and has four children: Lyston (9), Kinley (who went home to Jesus in 2011), Levi (6), and Leighton (4). Stephanie works at the Chamber of Commerce in her small town of Hondo, TX. She enjoys singing in her church praise band, running, reading, and spending time with her family at the lake. You can read more from Stephanie on her blog.
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