Kelli’s Story
Seven Years Later
Her heart was aching and lonely, she felt lost and misunderstood. For months, the heart of this carpenter’s wife, who was not yet a mother in the eyes of the world, grieved the loss of child she never got to meet. No physical scar or sign to hold that would indicate to the world the condition of her heart and how it was left in tiny shards of glass. No one seemed to see the disaster that lay before her. Her heart, once perfectly crafted and beautiful and whole like a lovely porcelain vase, now lay on the ground where common people trekked. Often times, ...
This God-to-us Season {And a Christmas Giveaway!}
As I approach Christmas, I can feel that there is—inherently—a sense of longing that swells this season, especially having lost my child on this earth. I have a biblical longing for all to be made right, for the gap between this world and the next to be gone, for the righteous King of all to return—not as a baby this time, but as the One coming on the clouds carrying all victory over sin and death. The reality that this world is missing what I most desire is all the more pronounced through my unique, acute, and raw awareness of how empty this life can feel.
And ...
All Held Together
“Imagine a priceless vase or ornament is dropped on the floor and smashed to pieces. The woman who loved it kneels down. She picks up the pieces, one by one. She looks at each one in detail, turning it round, as if to remember where it once belonged. The vase was loved and so when it was shattered, every piece was worth picking up, no matter how small. A grieving person will often want to talk about the smallest detail of their loss. It is as if every broken piece is taken up and wept over. When you listen, you may feel that the detail was small, but it is part of ...
You Are a Warrior; You Can Be Happy Again
Each child gone ahead from among us is a precious person made in the image of God—and all having been made into Hope Moms, we together declare motherhood in each of our journeys. We are eager to go above and beyond in showing honor and love for one another (Rom. 12:10, 15). Through this series, we honor each other’s experiences of motherhood in love through our shared God of hope.
When my daughter died, I couldn't imagine being happy again. It was like something in me had died on that awful day in February 2011. Something called joy. I resigned myself to the ...
When Your Thanksgiving Is without Thanksgiving
The book of Psalms bears a title that means, “praise.” Yet, Psalm 88 does not follow the typical pattern of concluding with or moving toward praise. This rare psalm is in a context, within the psalter, of many words of thanks and praise to God, seemingly indicating that refraining from a conclusion of praise is not a posture to maintain, no matter the circumstance (see also 1 Thess. 5:18). But in the Scriptures, we do have these words as a part of the song book of the Israelites. They would sing these words to the Lord from beginning to end, and they ...
Years Later; Most Thankful for Jesus
At your home, perhaps turkey, stuffing, and football will be the same as ever—but not all is the same for you as it used to be. Family gatherings are missing your child—and perhaps, like me, they have been for some years now. Your Thanksgivings have gone through many changes.
I hope that you know the comfort of Christ’s gospel in your pain—that the good news of His sacrifice on the cross for sins means you can believe and have the assurance of heavenly glory that far surpasses this earth. How good and wonderful it is to reflect upon all Christ has done for His ...
Planned by God
“Imagine a priceless vase or ornament is dropped on the floor and smashed to pieces. The woman who loved it kneels down. She picks up the pieces, one by one. She looks at each one in detail, turning it round, as if to remember where it once belonged. The vase was loved and so when it was shattered, every piece was worth picking up, no matter how small. A grieving person will often want to talk about the smallest detail of their loss. It is as if every broken piece is taken up and wept over. When you listen, you may feel that the detail was small, but it is part of ...
Holly’s Story
Back in the Summer of 2015, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our third child. By October, we had traded in my sedan for a minivan. Early on in the pregnancy, I had a subchorinoic hemmorage and had significant bleeding. My HGC numbers were lower than expected, and combined with the bleeding, I was certain I had miscarried. My husband and I were shocked and thrilled when we found out I was carrying a healthy baby. The pregnancy was moving along like my previous healthy pregnancies, and I even began to feel regular movement around 15 weeks. In October, I found ...
Liz’s Story
My husband Andy and I have two beautiful girls, and we were debating whether or not to have another baby. We didn’t really feel strongly one way or another, but wanted to be obedient to the Lord. So we decided to start trying and see what God had in store for us. The second month of trying and bam! Pregnant. It took 5 or 6 months to get pregnant with the girls and the baby that we named Birch and lost at 9 weeks (between our girls), so we were absolutely shocked. As we wrapped our heads around the idea of being a family of 5, our excitement grew. We dreamed of a ...
Testimony Tuesday {Brandi’s Retreat Experience}
My name is Brandi Popke, and I am Hope Mom to Madison and Hannah. Madison would be 12 this year and Hannah would be 10. Both of my girls were born full term, but only lived a few hours due to Polycystic Kidney Disease. It was just this last year that I learned about the Hope Mommies community and the support it offers on social media. I had no idea the amount of support was so great until I went to the retreat in March.
I signed up for the retreat as soon as I came across the information online—completely terrified and excited at the same time. Other than my ...
