Wave Of Light~2013 Edition

"There is no footprint too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world."- Unknown

Yes, it is still Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month!

BUT,

October 15th was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, which culminated with the Wave of Light Ceremony at 7 PM (in respective time zones) worldwide. This is our second year to participate in this ceremony, and it felt a little different. We lit our candle with a little less sadness, but the same amount (if not more) LOVE.

Maybe it is because we are not so numb anymore.

Numb is a good thing and numb is a bad thing. Sometimes you also wish you were more numb. Sometimes the world can be a harsh place for those that have lost something they love.

But not on this night. Not on October 15th.

The world showed up for this special day. We felt the arms of so many people near and far around us, and I firmly believe that those arms helped take the sadness that can surround this day....just a little bit better. The strength of everyone combined made it easier to light our candle, cry a little less, and love a whole lot more.

For THAT we say THANK YOU. A thousand times.

I am going to share the pictures of the photos we received! These candles are so beautiful and special!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And our candle....Same one as last year :) Three flames for our family of three on a beautiful night.

(I have no idea why so many of these candles are so distorted and funny looking! Sorry about that!)

Thank You to EVERYONE who participated in the Wave of Light by either lighting a candle, spreading the word, or just simply supporting those who lit a candle!

Thank You to those who are advocating for this month actively and to those that have taken time to share the word about this special month.

Thank You for helping us create awareness! That is a beautiful thing. This is subject that many do not talk about, and it does not get much air time up against many other causes and issues.

Thank You for giving someone you know who has been touched by those terrible loss an extra hug, phone call, text, e-mail or even a meaningful, "How are YOU doing right now?" conversation.

Thank You, above all, for your LOVE. Where would everyone be without that? No where. That's where.

We are confident all those babies can see these candles from Heaven and that they are smiling down on their Mommies and Daddies that day and everyday. They know they are loved, but for one solid day, the whole world got to show each of them exactly how much they are loved.

One day, we will see them again. We will hold them. We will rock them. We will sing. We will dance. We will play. We will color. We will run, jump, skip, swing, and laugh until our sides hurt. We will finally get to have the moments with them we so long for, and the best part about it is that it is for eternity. No one is leaving too early.

One Day.

Today, we have LOVE. Tomorrow we have LOVE. For the rest of our lives on Earth we have LOVE for these babies gone too soon. It is a unbreakable, unwavering, rock solid, life changing, straight-up LOVE.

We love YOU Jackson Neil DeLoach, and so does the rest of the world. We love you forever and always. You are so beautiful, and the great love of our lives. We will see you again, sweet boy. -Love Mom and Dad

Thank You EVERYONE! See you next October for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Day! You all are AMAZING!

Love,
Emily and Russ

Lets Do This, October!

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."- Desmond Tutu

It is October again, readers! (click link to refresh history behind this month!)

That means it is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and October 15th being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

This is our second year.

This is our second of many, many, many years.

What is different?

Not a whole lot.

There is one small thing that we are choosing to do this year, on October 15.

Be a little happier. Smile a little more. Hold on to the HOPE that we have.

We will step out (and up) for Jackson this month, and we will light a candle with a little less sadness and much more love.

I will also light a candle for so many other beautiful angels that left the far too soon.

For Jackson. For Grace. For Rip. For June. For Aiden. For Hayes. For the countless miscarriages that I know of.


See all those names?

They were real. They lived. They were loved.

They are still loved. Every. Single. Day.

This October 15th feels just a little different. Just a little. For reasons we will never, ever understand, we are the faces of this awful reality and because of that fact, we are committed to being ambassadors for love and acceptance for all that are touched by this loss. We are working on healing ourselves (this will take our whole life), but along the way, we want to help as many people as we possibly can. This is a loss that many do not speak about openly, and it is easy to understand why. It is also an issue that has a recognition month, yet it does not get much air time. This is us trying to change that. Here comes the publicity and air time world. One step. One month. One year at a time.

So, if you are reading this, I am asking YOU to light a candle at 7 PM (in your respective time zone) and keep it burning for 1 hour. This ceremony is called the International Wave of Light. It is small gesture to show all the babies how much they are loved and missed by everyone. It is silent but powerful ceremony. I am 100% sure that all of those babies can see this beautiful Wave of Light from Heaven. We must always remember that LOVE is a universal language. I, for one, believe in love and the power of it. Please join me and the rest of the world on October 15th at 7PM.

If you can, snap a photo of your candle! I would love to put together another video! Last year's, "Digital Tidal Wave" was absolutely amazing. We were BLOWN AWAY by the hundreds of photos we received. It was humbling. It also made us and so many others stronger.

Lets do it again.

You can e-mail me your photo at emily.deloach@hotmail.com.

And you know what, you can totally light one privately and call it a day!

Our candle from last year in a small corner of home (in our bedroom) that is dedicated to our little angel. Gosh almighty, those feet! Perfection.

Lets overwhelm the world with small bits of good.

For the first time in nearly a year and a half, I am ready.

That's a new feeling. Ready for some good. Ready for October and October 15th.

Love,
Russ and Emily