Light a candle with me this October 15th

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Please join me and other families around the world on Thursday, October 15th at 7pm local time as we participate in a Global Wave of Light.

To join, simply light a candle at 7pm and keep it burning for at least an hour

in honor and in remembrance of all loved and longed for babies gone too soon

.

Wave of Light was founded in 2003 by Canadian Terra-Lynn Coggan following the stillbirth of her nephew Riley Joseph. By keeping your candles lit for at least an hour, the Wave of Light moves through each time zone and circumnavigates the globe. The result is a continuous chain of light encompassing and spanning across the world and around the globe for a 24-hour period, illuminating the night in love and light in honor and remembrance of all babies gone too soon.

Coggan’s inspiration for the special date coincided with the first official observation of October 15th as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States, led by Robyn Bear, Lisa Brown, and Tammy Novak. On Bear’s website, she envisioned:

“A day when all grieving parents could come together and be surrounded by love and support from their friends and families, a day where the community could better understand their pain and learn how to reach out to those grieving. This would be a day to reflect on the loss yet embrace the love. While our babies’ lives were so brief, they were also very meaningful.

I acknowledge the hard work that women and men - bereaved mothers, fathers, families, and loved ones - have done before me to legislate the recognition of our babies. As a newly bereaved mother, I already feel so welcomed into this club that nobody wants to be in. It truly is the worst club with the best people. I thank Renee Aurora’s mama from the Instagram handle @Mourning_Renee for honoring Blair alongside your daughter Renee and other babies in your #Saytheirnames art campaign during this important awareness month.

Will you join me this October 15th to shine a light for Blair and other dearly-missed babies gone too soon?