I saw on a website today, a stat that said something like “loss after x number of weeks of pregnancy is really rare.” I thought “How can it be rare??” I have talked to so many women in the past two months who have had a stillborn birth like I did. I remember at one of my prenatal visits being very shaken by knowing a woman who had just experienced a stillborn baby at full term, and the doctor reassuring me saying that such situations were “very rare.” That continued statement that it is “very rare” is stinging.

I ordered my family memory books for the past few years. I put one together every year and they end up being around 200 pages, so I wait for the website I use (Blurb.com) to have a sale, which is every few months The books were completed, so I finally placed my order. I am now working on 2015, which will be hard. Since I arrange them chronologically, I am working on April right now. Soon I will be working on May, when we found out I was pregnant. Then I’ll have to work through all of the months and photos where I was visibly pregnant until we get to September. It will be hard.

There is so much hatred in in the news right now, following the terrorist attacks. Fear of Syrian refugees, when we should be opening our arms to help these people. Fear is what the terrorists want. These lyrics from Jewel seem especially poignant:

I’ve heard your anguish
I’ve heard your hearts cry out
We are tired, we are weary, but we aren’t worn out
Set down your chains, until only faith remains
Set down your chains

And lend your voices only to sounds of freedom
No longer lent your strength to that
Which you wish to be free from
Fill your lives with love and bravery
And we shall lead a life uncommon