A "Still" Father

My child is gone
I hardly remember
Her coming
A moment in time
That was both
The longest
And shortest
Of my life.
Anticipation
Devastation
And now
Reclamation
Putting the pieces
Of my soul
In semblance
Of order.
Time to go on
Time to get on
With life
With love
With a hole
In my heart
But with joy
For that moment.
I am her father
A blessed gift
Through whom I have learned
I can love
Deeply
That which I cannot hold
Except in my heart
Knowing I am forever her father.

by Richard Olsen, founder and Executive Director of The National Stillbirth Society

Eternal

When you accept what has happened, you aren't acknowledging that it is okay, but rather that you know you must find a way to keep growing and living - even if you don't feel like it. [Don't let] grief be your constant companion. Realize that your grief is born out of unconditional love for your child, and rejoice in that love which will never end. Embracing life again is not a sign that you have stopped missing your baby, but an example of a love that is eternal.

-Wisconsin Perspectives Newsletter, Spring 1989