A Miscarriage and Baby Loss Campaign by Today’s Parent Magazine
I was in Toronto this week to be interviewed by the lovely ladies at Today’s Parent Magazine. They are releasing a hugely important campaign to support those who have experienced the death of a child. I commend Today’s Parent for tackling this challenging and taboo subject – and also for giving me the opportunity to share Zachary’s story. I am passionate about dispelling the silence and loneliness around this type of loss with the goal of connecting people, both men and women, in a caring and compassionate community. As I often do when I retell my family’s story, I cried and smeared my make-up during the interview. I still get choked up every now and then, even after almost four years, but I’m okay with my emotions these days. I accept them as a beautiful part of...
Read MoreHealing Through Visual Art at The Compassionate Friends Conference
I am passionate about art and I am passionate about my family. It was an honour to bring those two loves together when I presented Healing through Visual Art a month ago at The Compassionate Friends of America National Conference in Chicago, Illinois. I started my workshop by sharing about Zachary’s life, his death, and how I discovered creativity as a way to pull myself out of the pit of grief. The conference saw thousands of bereaved parents, and some siblings too, gather together to remember, learn and share. Standing in front of nearly forty attendees of my workshop, I was honoured to open up about my experience and show my artwork made in the darkest periods of my mourning. I presented many techniques and examples of how to use art for self-expression and...
Read MoreLoving Deeply means Grieving Deeply
I was at The Compassionate Friends of America National Conference to be a speaker. I was not there for myself, or at least that’s what I thought. My husband Aaron and I arrived the day before the conference officially began and registered with a friendly lady who gave us the program and lanyards. All of a sudden I couldn’t see. The woman was blurry in front of me. I blinked long and hard. Aaron looked at me, “Are you alright?” “Fine, I’m fine,” I said but my voice caught in my throat… The opening ceremony was the next morning. “What’s wrong with me?” I asked Aaron. All of a sudden my eyes started leaking again. This time my chest heaved as I tried to muffle my weeping. “This is so embarrassing,” I said, but as I looked around I saw that no one cared and actually...
Read MoreGrieving Children of All Ages: Reflections on the Walk to Remember, Chicago
My husband Aaron and I recently attended a Walk to Remember in Chicago as a part of The Compassionate Friends of America National Conference. (I will write more about the conference and the workshop I presented, Healing through Visual Art, in upcoming blog posts.) Something different about The Compassionate Friends, their conference and Walk from what I have previously experienced is their focus on the loss of children – and siblings – of all ages. Sometimes I get very stuck in my own experience of losing a baby that I don’t always reflect on the parents who lose an older or even adult child. I do frequently think about my living children and fear for their safety, but to be honest up until this conference I had not contemplated at length all the grieving...
Read MoreHealing Workshops, Update
I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting “Healing through the Written Word” and “Healing through Visual Art” at The 2014 International Conference on Stillbirth, SIDS and Baby Survival. Here is the conference information: Date: September 18 – 21, 2014 Location: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) Amsterdam, The Netherlands To register, click here. To see other conferences where I will be speaking, please visit Public Speaking & Teaching on Wanted Chosen Planned. If you or your organization would like to arrange a workshop or presentation, please email info@alexismariechute.com or phone 780-499-4311. Media bookings can also be made with Gal Friday Publicity at rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com or by calling 604-366-7846....
Read MoreBleeding Hearts
I received a lovely email the other day from my mother-in-law. This is what she said: Hi Alexis Marie, I was out in my garden today, and the tulip I planted in Zachary’s honor after ‘Walk To Remember’ a couple years ago is in full bloom. But this year it is coming up with a shrub I had planted last year and it is in bloom at the same time. The name of the shrub – Bleeding Heart. Very special to me, and I know it would be to you as well. Love, Mom The bleeding heart. What a perfect picture of the grieving parent. For a long time I felt the jagged edges of what I could only describe as a broken heart but recently I was reading a book that used other symbolism to represent parental bereavement. Such symbols included a tea pot and a cracked nut, both able to hold...
Read MoreLiving with an Open Hand
This is the speech I gave last weekend at the May Memorial, Remembering Our Losses. I hope it will be an encouragement. OPEN HAND Of all the many lessons I’ve learned in my life, there is one in particular that stands out. The lesson: live with an open hand. Living with an open hand is like holding a butterfly. It means not squeezing too tightly to what we want, to what we love; otherwise it may be crushed between our fingers. Instead, we can open our hands and let that which we desire stay however long it wishes. If it goes, it may return if we remain open, but there is also the chance it will not come back. Living openly like this means being grateful for what we have for however long we have it. In happy times, this lesson sounds easy, but throughout...
Read MoreRemembering our Losses, May Memorial in Edmonton
If you are looking for a place to celebrate your child in the presence of others who share your experience, there is a lovely Edmonton event called, “Remembering Our Losses.” I will be speaking at this event and reflecting on living with an “Open hand.” Put on by Alberta Health Services & Covenant Health Pregnancy & Infant Loss Program, this event takes place on Sunday, May 25 at 1:00 pm at Connelly-McKinley Funeral Homes. There will be a graveside ceremony following the memorial. Click the image above to see a larger version. If you attend this event, please find me and say hello. I’d like to meet you. I believe we are stronger together. If you have a baby loss event that you would like me to share, please...
Read MoreReturn to Zero
Have you heard about Return to Zero? Tomorrow, Saturday May 17, the film Return to Zero will have its world television premier (Sunday May 18 in the UK). The movie is a true story of love, loss and hope. Minnie Driver and Paul Adelstein play a couple who have a stillborn child and face their ‘new normal’ afterwards. When I watched the trailer, I couldn’t help but weep. I am so proud of this movie, and the anthology Three Minus One that I’m published in. I am passionate about dispelling the taboo around child loss that hinders couples from healthy grief in a supportive community. It is wonderful that couples and families that have been through loss can band together to support one another and commit to beautiful projects like Return to Zero and Three Minus...
Read MoreThe Meaning in a Name
When names are chosen with purpose and meaning, I get goosebumps. It’s like bestowing on a person the mantle of their destiny. I remember my mom telling me the meaning of my name when I was little: Alexis, helper and defender of mankind. I’ve never forgotten that. As a kid, I took the meaning of my name very seriously, like a responsibility and one I was proud to fulfill. I stood up for bullied kids and have always loved helping people. My daughter’s name, Hannah, means favor and grace. After my husband Aaron and I discovered that our second child would not live, in hopes of a miracle we chose his name. Zachary, remembered by God. It broke my heart at the time of my son’s death, ‘Had God forgotten my child?’ I’ve come to understand that there are many things I...
Read MoreToday is International Bereaved Mother’s Day: The Meaning of Motherhood
What is a mother? Is she someone who has had a healthy child? Yes, that is one definition. But what about women who have abused or abandoned their children? Should they be considered mothers? What about the woman whose child has died? Is she a mother? I believe that the defining characteristic of a mother is her love. Just like faith and hope, love is an invisible quality but truly the strongest force in the universe – even stronger than hate. In the presence of so great a love as a mother for her child, a broken heart is understandable in the face of tragedy, but love is also the only true healer. Love cannot be killed, lost or destroyed. Love is eternal. With the death of a mother and father, the world does not assume the child had no parent at all. The...
Read MoreReminder: May 4 is Bereaved Mother’s Day, download your free badge of honor
Celebrate mothers who have lost a child. Honor these women with love, support and thoughtfulness on International Bereaved Mother’s Day: Sunday, May 4, 2014. Please visit my post from April 24 to download a digital image to honour the bereaved family member(s) in your life. Click here to visit the post and download the image greeting. Bereaved Mother’s Day is a chance to show yourself love, grace and kindness. You deserve it. No human should have to endure the loss and pain that you have survived, and yet, no matter what, you are still a mother. Join me on May 4 here on Wanted Chosen Planned to discuss the meaning of Motherhood, and also join me on twitter using the hashtag: #stillamom (You can find me: @_Alexis_Marie). I’m looking forward to...
Read MoreBreakfast Television Tomorrow
In anticipation of International Bereaved Mother’s Day, I will be talking to Ryan Jespersen tomorrow morning on Breakfast Television on City TV in Edmonton. My segment will air at 8:30am. Please tune in for more info about the event and how you can join in the...
Read MoreMark your calendar: International Bereaved Mother’s Day, May 4, 2014
Mother’s Day is a beautiful celebration but for some it is a day of lament. When you baby has died, Mother’s Day can be an ache in your heart that refuses to abate. I feel it. It is the longing, the irrational search, the hope against all certainty. The love of a bereaved mother for her lost child will never fade nor be forgotten. It is this love that is unconquerable and lingers because of its strength. Bereaved Mother’s Day honours the women who are still mothers – even if their child or children are not with them. No matter how early you lost your child or the form of that loss, you are still a mother. Please believe these words. Do not think little of yourself, please do not blame yourself. International Bereaved Mother’s Day takes place on Sunday, May 4,...
Read MoreKeepsakes of our Loss
Before Zachary died, Aaron and I went to the funeral home that would be performing Zach’s cremation. We walked through a large room filled with wooden caskets. The sight made me nauseous; literally sick to my stomach. I kept my eyes on the floor, Aaron guiding me. We passed through that room into a tiny, closet-like space. There, on a low shelf, was a tiny collection of urns – for children. Regular urns, for adults, are similar to the average flower vase in size, whereas for children, their bones being much smaller, the urns are petite. I remember weeping, furious I would have to make such a decision as the container for my child. There were urns that looked like miniature versions of the adult containers but these felt so cold and impersonal. Aaron and I chose a...
Read MoreEaster Reflections: Finding Faith, Losing Faith
It’s interesting how the loss of a child affects each individual so differently. From the way that people talk about their child and the loss, to how they grieve and respond to others, there is nothing cookie cutter about this experience. With Easter a week away, I’m thinking about colorful eggs, bunnies – and faith. I once met with a woman over coffee whose baby had died and in sharing her story with me she spoke of how the loss brought her closer to God. She was a Christian before her child passed away, and in the aftermath she found a great deal of comfort and grace in processing her grief through her faith. There are also people who find faith for the first time after traumatic experiences. Or to the opposite extreme, lose their faith entirely. For...
Read MorePortraits of Healing in The Quiet Rebuild
Art can heal. It may sound corny but it’s true. The language of art is not like a spoken dialect; art touches the human heart through contrast, color, symbolism, metaphor and personal and creative expression. You don’t have to be an artist or even have a clue what I’m talking about for art to make a difference for you. I can help! If any of this resonates with you (or even sparks your curiosity), I am still looking for volunteers to participate in fine art portraits for my work, The Quiet Rebuild. This is an opportunity to share your story of love and loss and survival. Please get in touch if you are interested: info@alexismariechute.com You can read more about the project here on Wanted, Chosen, Planned – Portraits of Healing and you can...
Read MoreThree Minus One Anthology
The Three Minus One book will be released on April 19, 2014 by SheWrites Press. I am so thankful that one of my essays is included within this hugely meaningful anthology. My essay is called, “The Tiny Voice that Saved Me,” and is about the days following my son’s death. Description of Three Minus One: Three Minus One: Parents’ Stories of Love and Loss is a collection of intimate, soul-baring stories and artwork by parents who have lost a child to stillbirth, miscarriage, or neonatal death, inspired by the film Return to Zero. The loss of a child is unlike any other, and the impact that it has on the mother, the father, their family, and their friends is devastating—a shockwave of pain and guilt that spreads through their entire community. But the majority of...
Read MoreWanted Chosen Planned nominated for a Yeggie
Why do I write this blog? There are a lot of reasons: My son Zachary gave me the greatest gift of LOVE and compassion which I hope to share with others. Wanted, Chosen, Planned is my labor of LOVE to make a difference in the world. I LOVE writing and am glad that my gifts can be used in a meaningful way. I guess it all comes down to LOVE… These reasons are worth it in themselves but make it all the more special when I learn that my blog is nominated for a Yeggie – and has been shortlisted! A Yeggie is a new media award in Edmonton for bloggers, social network addicts and twitter personalities that are doing good things with their screen time. Wanted, Chosen, Planned has been shortlisted in the “Family and Parenting” category. I find this a huge honor...
Read MoreThawing of the Bereaved Soul
There is a magic that comes with the spring thaw. The snow starts to melt and little buds appear on the trees. Maybe you are like me and feel an internal blossoming as well. Spring makes me feel alive. The warmth opens my heart. Zachary died in October 2010. Following his death my city of Edmonton went into its typical cold winter and my soul along with it. I spent that season distracting myself from my grief and disguising my sorrow with the busyness of life. My heart was frozen; cold and barren like the landscape. Another time my internal world mirrored the external was when I was expecting following my loss. In my pregnancy with Eden I ripened to full term along with the colors of spring. Eden was born at the end of June 2012. With Eden’s arrival my heart...
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