Share of Northeast Louisiana Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc.

Angel of Hope

2009-12-31T08:50:00.000-08:00

Only a parent who has lost a child can know the pain and grief. Only a parent who has lost a child can truely console another grieving parent. It is the hardest journey in life one will ever take. Whether you are grieving the death of a stillborn or a 50 year old, life has changed forever and your heart will never stop thinking of your precious child.

The Christmas Box Angel of Hope is a beautiful monument for parents to go to who have lost a child of any age, for any reason. She is a symbol of hope for those who struggle to continue life after the death of a child.

On December 6 each year, parents and loved ones gather at the many Angel of Hope statues located across the country for a candlelight vigil and memorial service. My daughters and some of the members of my Share support group attended this service in Pineville, LA. The angel was beautiful and being in her presence was unforgettable. Lighting candles and laying beautiful long stemmed white roses around the angel symbolized the love for our children as we joined together on this very special night.

Share Pancake Breakfast

2009-09-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Share of Northeast Louisiana is hosting an all you can eat pancake breakfast at Applebees in Monroe, LA on October 17 from 8-10am. Tickets are $5.00 each and can be purchased in advance or at the door. To go orders are welcome.

3rd Annual Share Walk for Remembrance and Hope set for October 10th.

2009-09-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Share of Northeast Louisiana Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support is gearing up for our Third Annual Walk for Remembrance and Hope 2009. Sign in and registration will begin at the bandstand in Forsyth Park in Monroe, LA at 8AM on October 10, 2009. The event begins at 9AM and includes heartfelt memorial program, balloon release and finally our Walk along the Ouachita River. We welcome anyone whose life has been touched by the heartbreaking death of a baby due to miscarriage, stillbirth, newborn death or during the first few months of life.

If you have any questions or need more information, please email ColleenH38@aol.com.

We would like to thank our generous sponsors who make this event possible.

THE CHILDREN'S COALITION OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA

THE FEED LOT

JOHNSTON TOOL & RENTAL

TWIN OAKS NURSERY

JAMESON INN - WEST MONROE, LA

PEPSI

Share of NELA donates third headstone

2009-04-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Share of Northeast Louisiana is honored to donate our third headstone for a baby. Victoria Fain was the stillborn daughter of Jason and Andrea Fain.

With the continued support of our friends, family and community, Share will continue to donate two headstones each year for babies buried in Northeast Louisiana.

Share of NELA donates second headstone

2009-01-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

The members of Share of Northeast Louisiana, Inc. are proud and honored to give our second headstone for a baby. Dustin Neal Reeves was born on May 24, 1990 and passed away May 26, 1990.

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TRISTEN!

2009-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Today would have been Tristen's 4th birthday. His mother Amie joined our Share group shortly after his death. She moved to Mississippi last year to be closer to her family and is unable to come back today. There was no way we would let this day pass without acknowledging and remembering Tristen. Since Amie could not be here, I took 4 birthday balloons and blue roses to his grave.

Amie, your friends from Share want you to know that we miss you very much and are thinking of you today.

Happy Birthday sweet Tristen!

Love,

Colleen, Nikki, Andrea, Angela, Ashley and all the members of Share of Northeast Louisiana!

Please Be Gentle

2008-12-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

This morning while reading a blog about a couple who lost their ten week old son to SIDS, I came across this poem and wanted to share it with others.

Please Be Gentle
By Jill B. Englar

Please be gentle with me for I am grieving.
The sea I swim in is a lonely one and the shore seems miles away.
Waves of despair numb my soul as I struggle through each day.
My heart is heavy with sorrow.
I want to shout and scream and repeatedly ask 'why?'
At times, my grief overwhelms me and I weep bitterly,so great is my loss.
Please don’t turn away or tell me to move on with my life.
I must embrace my pain before I can begin to heal.
Companion me through tears and sit with me in loving silence.
Honor where I am in my journey,not where you think I should be.
Listen patiently to my story,I may need to tell it over and over again.
It’s how I begin to grasp the enormity of my loss.
Nurture me through the weeks and months ahead.
Forgive me when I seem distant and inconsolable.
A small flame still burns within my heart,and shared memories may trigger both laughter and tears.
I need your support and understanding.
There is no right or wrong way to grieve.
I must find my own path.
Please, will you walk beside me?

Christmas after the loss of your baby

2008-12-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas is less than two weeks away and I have been thinking of all the parents who have come into my life since I started the local chapter of Share. Some have faced many holiday seasons since their baby died and for others, this is their first.

Many parents find it helpful to include their baby in their Christmas celebrations. Whether you do it quietly or make others aware, is your decision. Do what feels right and helpful for you.

Some ideas for including your precious baby:

1. Hanging a special ornament on your tree.
2. Lighting a candle and having a moment of silence and/or prayer.
3. Giving a gift to a needy child in memory of your baby.
4. Giving to a charity in memory of your baby.
5. Hang a stocking for your baby and write messages of love to him/her. If you have other children, it can be healing for them to do the same.
6. Take a small decorated Christmas tree, wreath or flowers to your baby's grave.

I wish each of you a Christmas filled with love, hope and peace.

Love,
Colleen

Our Annual Share Christmas Party

2008-12-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

Our Share group held its annual Christmas party last week. It's hard to believe that it's the fourth one with several in the group. We truly are a family and it is so nice to spend holidays with these remarkable women. I hope everyone enjoyed our time together as much as I did.

Colleen

Getting Through The Holidays

2008-11-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

Grief is emotionally and physically draining. Everyday is a challenge. Special days can be even more difficult.

How do you get through the holidays, birth and death days, or just a Monday after your baby has died? Well, you have to do what helps YOU. What I do may not be right for the next person. You have to learn what works for you to make it through those days and realize that your choices may and probably will change in the following years.

There are many suggestions for us and so many of them are helpful. With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching, the pressure from family and friends may be overwhelming to someone who is facing the first holidays since their baby died. If parents have other children, there is the pressure to make the holidays as normal as possible when you may actually wish you could just skip them all and wake up on January 2nd.

In our latest Share Newsletter they remind us that if you are expecting things to be the same as before your baby died, you are going to be disappointed. They also point out that many people in your lives may expect you to "be over it" by now and expect you to enjoy the holidays like before. I believe it is possible to enjoy the holidays but it will be different. For some parents, finding ways to incorporate their baby into the holidays is helpful.

I believe that women especially are geared to be pleasers and caregivers. We don't want to hurt or disappoint anyone. Somehow we must find a balance between caring for our own needs during the holidays and pleasing others. If you feel that you cannot participate in a large family gathering, preparing a huge meal, or even shopping and sending out cards THEN DON'T DO IT. If you want to simplify the holidays in order to get through them, IT IS OKAY. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY! I promise you that the world is not going to stop and your family will not fall apart.

Make your family aware of your feelings and explain to them what you can and cannot handle. If they don't understand, it is not your job to make them. One thing I have learned is that no matter how hard you try, you cannot "teach" anyone what this journey is like. If they have not lost a baby, they cannot and will not ever truly understand.

I wish each of you a Thanksgiving filled with an inner peace and a promise of hope.

This Thanksgiving and everyday know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Colleen

7th Annual Celebrity Challenge Bass Tournament Supports Share

2008-11-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Each year the Celebrity Challenge Bass Tournament Committee chooses a charity to help bring awareness to. We are honored that Share of NELA has been chosen for the past two years. Jackie Howard, Kenny Naul, Willie Carr and Keith Foster spend months putting this event together. They choose our local celebrities and pair them with bass fisherman from around the south for a day of fishing on the beautiful Ouachita River. We have been overwhelmed by the support not only of these fine men but from all of the men and women who participate in this event. Share wants to thank each and every person involved and we look forward to next year!

Angel of Hope

2008-11-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

One of the goals of Share of Northeast Louisiana is to raise the money to buy one of the beautiful Angel of Hope statues. The Angel will be a place for parents who have lost a child of any age to go to for remembrance, peace and hope. The Christmas Box Angel statue was introduced to the world in the book The Christmas Box, a worldwide best seller and hit television movie by author Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Though the book is mostly fictional, the angel monument once existed but is speculated to have been destroyed. The new angel statue was commissioned by Richard Paul Evans, in response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to grieve and heal. Many Share groups, including our National Share, have the angel statue in their area. Each year on December 6th, there is a candle light vigil held for parents at each statue around the country. Our group will be holding various fundraising events and accepting donations so that we may have an Angel of Hope in Northeast Louisiana. Donations can be made at Cross Keys Bank in Monroe to the "Angel of Hope Fund".

2008 Walk Pictures

2008-11-03T13:14:00.001-08:00

2nd Annual Share Walk for Remembrance and Hope 2008

2008-11-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Each year Share of Northeast Louisiana holds our Walk for Remembrance and Hope at Forsythe Park in Monroe. It takes months of planning and the support of many to make this event possible. Parents, families and friends join in a one or three mile walk, memorial service and balloon release. It is a day to remember our precious babies and acknowledge the impact they had in our lives, a day to give hope to broken hearts that we can survive.

We want to thank our 2008 sponsors who made this event possible- Creed and Creed Law Offices and Title Company, Holiday Inn Express West Monroe, Louisiana Home Care Monroe, Nelson Builders, and Kilpatrick Funeral Homes.