Words for the Journey

August 19th is known as the Day of Hope to break down the walls of infant, pregnancy & child loss. With that being said, if you can barely find the strength to hold on, I beg you to ride the wave. I know you are drowning, but I also know the shore is not too far away...I live the kind of loss that will paralyze you. I grieve in ways you can’t fathom. I died the day he did. But I came back!! YOU can too!! Healing is tiring, but it’s worth it. Please rise from the ashes to laugh & live again while also honoring your pain & broken heart. The life I had before loss is gone.

In moments that you’re missing me

In memories that you keep

In days that you are struggling

At night when you’re asleep

In milestones through life you reach

In days that you have tears

In days that you find happiness

And sometimes you have fears

In all you do I’m always here

Though Heaven is my home

I’m with you as you live your life

Wherever you may roam

Through times that are your hardest

Through the times you simply soar

Through days you feel you can’t go on

I’ve been asked on more than one occasion about HOPE. Where I found it, where do I continue to find it after my world has been shattered after losing my son Brian 5.5 years ago in a car accident. How did HOPE become the key word for me when I started my leadership support group which helps other parents after they have lost a child. Hope was not easy to find. Here I am five and a half years later clinging to it like a child holding onto their mothers shirt as he walks. I have to search for it every single day.

Financial issues are naturally stressful. So is loss. Put the two together, and the pressure can be overwhelming and frustrating.

Words seem inefficient and ineffective when describing and discussing grief because it is the silent ‘companion’ that dances about less than merrily in our thoughts when we have lost a cherished loved one.  So, I’ll start this article with four words, a simple introduction.  My name is Denise. 

Just another day on the calendar,

November 19, 2014,

A Wednesday morning-9:05

My world was rocked, changed forever!

The thing about life is that it is predictable, while also being unpredictable. We make every effort to ensure that our lives are busy because we fear the quiet stillness. That quiet interrupts our active lifestyle and forces us to ponder on things we would rather ignore. The quiet can take our most joyous moments and muddy them to the point of utter sorrow. The sweetness of life can be, at times, tainted with bitterness. Darkness can overtake our souls...drowning out the light.