Category Archives: We Remember

The 5th Belongs to Calvin: A Visit to Florida

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One of the most surprising thing that happened after losing Calvin (and each of my babies) was finding friendships in unexpected places. I was amazed and uplifted by receiving compassion, encouragement, and just plain love from people who ranged from former acquaintances to complete strangers.

The BabyCenter Community was where I first discovered the baby loss community and made friendships with mommies who were also struggling with grief and the loss of their babies. My love for Calvin and the emptiness that came with losing him led me to these ladies and we connected as we mourned and fought to remember our children. Two years later and many of these women have become my sisters. They have been there for me through losing Calvin, then Rainbow, then Gaelen, and they are here with me praying, hoping, wishing, and lifting me up. It feels like somehow Calvin must have gotten with their babies in heaven, and they decided, “Our mommies need each other. Let’s get them together.”

Emmit, Pickles, & Quackly in GulfportSo that’s why we are in Florida today: I’m finally meeting a few of these amazing ladies face-to-face, along with their hubbies and rainbow babies. One of these girls, I’ve know for over two years. The other three, I’ve known for almost a year and a half. And on Saturday, we will be walking together in memory of the little ones we lost at the hospital where one of them delivered and lost her twin boys. I’m sure it will be both heartbreaking and beautiful. I’m so honored to have the friendship of these women, as well as that of the wonderful people who’ve been with us throughout this journey.


Dear Calvin, I know you and Rainbow and Gaelen couldn’t stay with mommy and daddy. I know that, but it doesn’t make me miss you any less. So, I’m so grateful for the love that we have from your “aunties” and “uncles” and for the sweetness they have brought to our lives as we wait to be with you again. Happy 31 months in heaven, my darling. Send hugs and kisses to your sisters and your heaven baby friends. I love you.

<3, Crystal Theresa

“Because Grief is As Real as Love”

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One Who Soars and In Mourning BraceletsThe title of this piece is from the In Mourning Band™ Campaign. Louie and I wear these bands for our babies.

Because grief is as real as love, I mourn.
I mourn my babies
by saying the same things over and over,
by finding different ways to say these things again and again:

I hear them with each step I take—
I love them in the rising.
I miss them in the falling.
I want them in the touching down.

I feel them in my breath—
I love them at the inhale.
I miss them at the pause.
I want them at the exhale.

This is nothing new. My blood flows to this cadence:
I love them. break. I miss them. break. I want them. break.

I wear my grief–
I carry it around my neck and above my heart.

It adorns my eyes, my lips,
—It wears on me with each micro-nano-milli-moment that passes without them.

<3, Crystal Theresa

More of Calvie’s cloud drawings

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In last September’s The 5th Belongs to Calvin post, I showed Calvin’s name spelled in the clouds. This is the follow-up to that post… almost a year later. Yes, it had been sitting as a draft for almost that long. And, yes, I know I can be slow sometimes. But on this sleepless night, I’m finally sharing :) .

You can see the letters of Calvin’s name in this photo, too, but what’s particularly special about this one is that there are other images that revealed themselves in these clouds as Louie and I outlined their shapes.


What we found include angels, a cross, a phoenix, a mother holding her baby, and babies—lots of babies, and even a couple of babies whose faces I recognized. I know this seems kind of strange, but is it any “stranger” than seeing C-A-L-V-I-N in the sky? Some of the images aren’t as clear in this smaller version of the photo, and maybe it’s just me seeing what I want to see, pulling extra meaning out of what should be “meaningless.” But if it gives me hope and reassurance (and isn’t hurting anyone), let me continue to see my son—and his heavenly friends—in the clouds.

<3, Crystal Theresa

New feature over at DBC

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I have a new post at The Dead Baby Club about this month’s featured blogger: a mommy who chose to carry her baby to term after a fatal diagnosis. Please stop by to learn about Myah and her daughter, Faith and to share your stories or experiences with CTT after a poor prognosis.

<3, Crystal Theresa

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