Ministry Spotlight: One Year Closer Box

Over the years, I’ve noticed something about my own grief. The days leading up to Paige’s birthday are often harder for me than her birthday itself. As June turns to July and August approaches, I find myself carrying a heaviness that is difficult to explain. I remember exactly where I was when we learned her heart had stopped beating. That moment is frozen in time. I remember the questions that flooded my mind then and the ones that still occasionally resurface now.

What happened?
Why did this happen?
If I had gone to the doctor the week before when I wasn’t feeling well, would anything have been different?

Through the years, I’ve had to surrender those questions to the Lord again and again. Some answers simply belong to Him. But even now, almost sixteen years later, I still find that the anticipation can be difficult. As her birthday draws near, I begin to go quiet. I carry her more consciously in my thoughts, and the ache of missing her sits a little closer to the surface.

Maybe you’ve experienced that too. Maybe your baby’s birthday, due date, or anniversary is approaching, and you can already feel the weight of it settling onto your shoulders. Maybe you’re counting down the days without even meaning to. Maybe you’re finding yourself more emotional, more distracted, more exhausted, or more anxious, and the date hasn’t even arrived yet. If so, you’re not alone.

A few years ago, I began to recognize this pattern and wondered if other Hope Moms felt it too. So I started reaching out. About a month before a friend’s baby’s special day, I would send a card, a small gift, or a simple text letting her know I was thinking about her and remembering her child. It wasn’t anything elaborate. I simply wanted her to know she wasn’t carrying that season alone.

The responses were overwhelmingly similar.

“The days leading up are the hardest.”
“Thank you for remembering.”
“Thank you for seeing me.”

Again and again, these precious Hope Moms shared that they carried the same anticipation, the same heaviness, and the same longing to know someone else remembered their baby too. Those conversations stayed with me, and eventually they led to an idea.

My Creative Director, Constance, and I began talking about what we could create to help mothers navigate those difficult days leading up to an anniversary, birthday, or due date. We wanted something intentional, comforting, and hope-filled. Something that would meet a mom in the anticipation, not just on the day itself.

What emerged was the One Year Closer Box. We designed it specifically for the days leading up to a baby’s special date. In many ways, it functions like a gentle Advent for grieving mothers. Each day offers a small reminder that you are not alone, along with Scripture encouragement that helps you honor your baby’s sacred days while anchoring your heart in Christ.

We know a gift like this can’t take away your pain. But we also know that grief was never meant to be carried alone. The One Year Closer Box is our way of coming alongside you during a season that can feel particularly isolating and saying, “We remember your baby. We remember you. And we are walking with you, pointing you to the God who heals and saves.”

As your baby’s birthday, due date, or anniversary approaches, our prayer is that you would feel supported and remembered. That you would know your baby matters. Your grief matters. Your love matters. And perhaps most importantly, that you would remember the hope woven into the name itself.

One year closer.
One year closer to seeing Jesus face to face.
One year closer to seeing your baby again.
One year closer to the day when faith becomes sight, every tear is wiped away, and every sad thing comes untrue.

Until then, it is our privilege to walk alongside you.

Because He lives, I hope,
Jennie Parks
Executive Director

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