She was sharing their story again, one I have heard so many times and variations of in recent years, since they lost their first child and joined our group. It’s a sad story, but also one filled with love, hope and determination to build their family.
This time she compared how it feels trying to make sense of losing a baby, to what those suffering through the aftermath of a natural disaster experience, as we witness on the news and closer to home, in our towns or nearby communities.
The typhoon last week that devastated the Philippines…
The tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest on Sunday, leveling homes and destroying towns…
How do you get through something like that?
How do you survive the aftermath of such forces of nature?
Experiencing a miscarriage…
Delivering a stillborn baby…
Holding your infant as she passes away in your arms…
How do you get through something like that?
How do you survive the aftermath of such forces of nature?
For the rest of our meeting I kept thinking about that force of nature.
How it knocks us down and lifts us up…
How it takes away people, places and things we love and also gives us so much to celebrate and be thankful for…
Why?
What now?
There are so many questions and no easy answers.
We get through these times together, helping each other however we can.
We share our stories, our struggles, our hope and our support.
We take each day as it comes.
We can’t change the past or predict the future.
We try to adjust to our new normal.
We believe.
We don’t give up.
We find peace.
Update: I am participating in/linking up this post, for the first time, to Heather’s “Just Write” exercise/blog hop.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Very powerful, and sadly when nature is in full force there’s nothing we can do to stop it. I have been thinking a lot about these things lately as well. You put it very well in writing.
anexpatinuk recently posted..Gratitude list: my linkup #2 (#6 in the series)
Sharing our stories definitely does help us carry on, especially since there are so many instances where we just cannot make sense of these horrible things. We may not be able to understand, but maybe together we can accept and heal and live. And love. Always, always love.
I love this, and I’m so glad you linked to your “We carry on” post. I hope you are doing well.
Celeste recently posted..Not Only Will I Tell My Daughter That She Is Beautiful, I Will Tell My Daughter Why She Is Beautiful
I normally comment on your blogs on fb but it’s been a busy couple weeks and I fell behind and just caught up. I was moved to comment on this one and thought I’d do it here as I’m sure it’s several fb posts back by now.
I asked those questions of Why? and What Now? when the birthparents chose to keep their baby. We’d been walking with them and supporting (emotionally and financially) for three months, and, ultimately, grew to love them. We were there at birth but they decided to keep the baby. I was devastated and didn’t know if we could go back on the adoption list and potentially have this happen again.
But we got through it and seven months later were blessed to adopt our son. I was drawn to your title Force of Nature. One of my two tattoos (small ones on my inner ankles) are the lyrics “She Lets Go” which are from a Pearl Jam song called Force of Nature. It’s hard for me to let go and trust that I don’t need to have all the answers. But finally letting go was what helped me get through that very hard time. And the love of family (like you!) and good friends. <3