The holidays are coming

There’s no avoiding it – the holidays are coming and to those of us who have lost children, the thought is often overwhelming...

Halloween is Monday; Thanksgiving is 4 weeks from today and the approaching holiday reminders for Hanukkah, Christmas and the impending New Year are everywhere we look. When we lose a child, whether our child was that magical much awaited infant we were carrying and yet to be born, or our adult child, or all those blessed children of ages in between – our children give us hope of things to come ~ they are our promise of the future…

Our children’s deaths bring with them a sense of loss of so many things what might have been and the holidays are just another stark reminder of what will never be – of that lost future…

As we walk into the stores with all the holiday decorations (and soon it will be the dreaded holiday music), or Monday as we open the door for those little trick-or-treaters we envision what our child might have been or what they were when they were that age; the blessings and memories that are recalled around the Thanksgiving table are bittersweet for sure; and the magic of Hanukkah and Christmas are changed forever – as is the anticipation of the wonderful New Year ahead that is celebrated on New Years eve, many of us feel a sense of dream when the realization sinks in that a new year is coming, one during which our child will never be a part…

Yes, when our children die, certain hopes and dreams die with them and whether your child died this year or years ago, the pain this time of year is acute and your emotions become raw.. During the next 9-10 weeks we will post a variety of articles about coping with the holidays season.

As much as we’d like to run from the holidays or get into bed and cover our heads until they are over – neither of those are realistic options… So instead, we hope to share some tips from other moms and parents who have made this journey before us, tips that they found helpful to ease the heartache that often accompanies the holiday season....

If you have suggestions that you found made the holiday seasons easier, we’d love to hear from you.. Cherie Houston