Brought My Husband and Me Closer Together
This retreat really brought my husband and me closer together. After our third pregnancy loss, we didn’t know how to reconnect or grieve together. This retreat helped us work through the grieving process as a couple.
We Seek HIS Face in the Midst of Our Sadness
We very much enjoyed the Holy Hour at the Chapel this past weekend. It gave us a chance as a family (my husband and my two living children, ages 10 and 8) to come together and say prayers, find healing, and remember our third child, Gregory, who was born sleeping on 6/20/14. There have been rare times when we can come together as a family and be invited into Christ’s presence while we remember and celebrate Gregory’s life and those of other children who have died.
We all enjoyed the rosary so very much, and it was very meaningful to place candles near Gregory’s brick and to place our candles close to the Eucharist. My husband was especially touched by the reverence that the monstrance was handled with — and to sing part of the hour — it was very moving. We liked the open air Chapel there, as it brought nature into our midst and helped us connect with God.
I think one of my favorite parts was the realization, as I looked up at Christ, that my son continues to be the reason why we return to Christ — why we seek His face in the midst of our sadness — and that my son’s brief life is a testament to the power of one human soul and how, even though he never took a breath, God used his life to touch ours so deeply — Gregory’s life and death has brought us closer to God. I loved smelling the frankincense that was burned during the Holy Hour on Sunday, as it helped connect me to the sights and smells of my own adult baptism, when I converted to the faith 16+ years ago. Smelling the incense always gives me a sense of peace and reminds me of God’s promises. I can always clearly envision our prayers rising to heaven when I see the frankincense smoke billowing upward…
Thank you again to everyone who was a part of this beautiful night. We hope that it will continue as an annual tradition as we’d like to keep coming back as a family…
Loss Lead Me to a Much Deeper Faith
It’s been nearly 14 years since my daughter was born. She followed three miscarriages and preceded another. However, those years of loss made her high risk pregnancy perhaps the most precious experience of my life. My mother, a retired nurse, was directly involved in our care, and we were blessed to watch our daughter grow in sonograms every other week from a six-week heartbeat and even more frequent as we approached her birth. Those six or so years of loss lead me to a much deeper faith. I learned to listen for God’s will for my life very much on my own. We were not close to family until my pregnancy with Madison. We can’t always see the miracles that God is working in our lives when we are in the midst of a trial and not getting what we think we need. And in fact, that precious time of my pregnancy has now extended throughout her life! He taught me that she is His, as I am His, and my approach to raising her is completely different as a result. I’m here to orient her life to love and to lead her back to Him. Your prayer service opened the door to extend that healing and knowledge of God’s love for us to everyone who opened their hearts to join you in it. I am certain that He is well pleased with your gift.
