Something big is coming on May 5, 2012! Something really incredible!
Still Standing Magazine is a wonderful project begun by Fran (Small Bird Studios) and a huge collaborative effort with many of the most inspiring women I know ~ moms who understand loss because they live it. We have each our unique story, and Still Standing is going to be a wonderful place of hope, healing, and learning where we all share how we embrace life after loss. And I get to be a part of it {happy dance}!
I believe Still Standing will take its place within the world and provide a sense of hope and community to its readers. There are so many people just looking for a way through the hardest days. I remember the beginning all too well. The days of darkness while having the responsibility of being mommy still. Just surviving each day was a struggle. I was constantly searching for people online who understood what I was feeling because the world I lived in felt wrong. Family and friends had unrealistic expectation of our grief journey. I often felt as if people wanted desperately for me to ‘get over’ it already and be the old me again.
Overcoming and getting over are worlds apart in my mind. The death of a child is not something you ‘get over’, but grief is something that you can overcome. I strive to overcome grief in order to survive and live this life I have. I strive to overcome grief because I deserve to smile and be happy. Honestly, it has taken two years to just get to the threshold of this place where I can embrace joy again. It is a scar that marks me and still has the power to level me in a random moment. I am not required to get over Amelia. And that is an important distinction that most people in our society don’t understand. Still Standing will help not only illustrate the distinction, but do amazing things to education the periphery community that hasn’t experienced a loss, but is involved in the life of a family who has.
I can’t tell you how giddy I was when Fran called me and asked me to be a contributing writer. It is a dream come true.
I will be writing about parenting before, during and after loss, children and grief, faith, and healing through creativity. The truth is that I stumble and make mistakes along the way, but I never allow myself to forget for one minute that not only am I grieving a daughter, but my children grieve the loss of a sister.
So, come and join the newsletter and facebook page and read more about the other incredible mama’s that are part of Still Standing.
Join Still Standing and follow this amazing group! Facebook page and newsletter sign up
