Balloon Release

Two weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend a Share balloon release. Share is a national organization dedicated to offering support for all types of pregnancy loss. Every year they hold a memorial event in our valley that is filled with sevearl activities dedicated to remembering the young lives of those that ended too quickly.

The timing was perfect for us to attend Sept. 25th. We were able to gather with a lot of other people that had experienced all sorts of different losses- from miscarriage, to stillbirth, to early infant death. Everyone received balloons in honor of their children lost. Songs were sung, ribbons were tied in trees, and messages were attached to the balloons.

We then had sunflowers to fill out with the name of the child or of the family. The sunflowers lined the pathway, and everyone took a memorial walk and read the names on each of the flowers.

We then gathered for the balloon release and one at a time, as the remembrances were read aloud, released our balloons. It was an emotion filled event for each of us. It also gave us the chance to reflect on the past year and where we were then and where we are now. I still have so many questions as to why and still think about how our lives might be different at this point in time, and yet, I still have hope that God is in control of our family. I don't know what that looks like or when it will occur, but I have hope. And so we wait in that hope- sometimes patiently and other times not so patiently, but we do it.