Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Please Pray For Our Family

Sadly to say, our family has just suffered a miscarriage. Last Friday, after a long, agonising week of suspense, I had a sonogram which showed that our little baby quit growing at 6 weeks (I was 10 weeks along). That sonogram was very hard to see.

After that, I was looking through my prayer books and I found this prayer, which helped me a lot:

To A Child In Heaven (a prayer of resignation)
My darling, you have gone to heaven to be eternally happy, and are now in joy in the company of the holy innocents there. It was a thing hard for me to understand when you were taken from my arms, for parting with you has caused me grief that few can know. Yet in all my grief I am happy, very happy for you, because I know the joy that is yours. Your joy is now my joy, too, because I can always feel that I had a part in bringing it to you. Now that you are in heaven, I realize that you are mine in a truer sense than you could ever be on earth. I cannot lose you now through sin. While parting with you was hard, I would not wish you back because I know that you are happier than I could ever make you here with me. Help me, as you now can with your intercession, that I may be completely faithful to all my duties here on earth and merit to receive you again in eternal joys where there will be no more sorrow or parting from those we love.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, lover of little children, hear my prayer!


The other prayer that helped me was out of the same prayer book:

A Prayer For Resignation (for the mother of an infant lost at birth)
Mary, my mother, obtain for me, I beg you, the grace of a holy resignation. Obtain for me the grace to understand this trial which is so hard for me to bear. I know that God in his all-wise providence has seen that it is for the best. Yet it is hard for me to bear the grief I feel. I come to you, dear mother, comforter of the afflicted and constant aid of those who trust in you. I know that you can obtain for me the peace and resignation that I seek. I confide in you entirely in this my tribulation and sorrow. You know the meaning of a mother's love, and can understand the depth of my affliction. Be to me a tender and protecting mother. For now, dear Mother Mary, I feel more than ever the need of your motherly love and sweet consolation.
Mary sorrowing, Mother of all Christians, Pray for us!

Even though my child died before birth and I never got to hold our baby in my arms, I know these prayers helped me. God granted me that gift of resignation.

Over the course of Sunday and Monday, the actual delivery took place and thanks be to God, was not overly difficult and did not require any trips to the hospital. It appears that it is all finished.

I am so grateful for my four little children here on earth. They are a great comfort in their innocence and joyful play. And in their kisses, hugs, and snuggles. (Of course, Dan is a big comfort as well!) One thing is for sure, I will never take a pregnancy for granted anymore. Fertility is a gift. Pregnancy is a gift. A new baby is a gift. Even though our baby only lived for about 4 weeks or so in her mother's womb, she was still a gift. And we have the hope of seeing her again one day.

We call her a girl, even though we don't know for sure that she is, and since she probably died sometime around Christmas or the Feast of the Holy Family, and her due date was the Feast of the Assumption, we have named her Mary Joseph.

Thank you for your prayers.

And please add my sister in your prayers, as she suffered a miscarriage last week. We were due within days of each other.

8 comments:

Emily K said...

Janet & Dan,
So sorry to hear about this. You have our prayers.

I miscarried early in our marriage. It was a devestating experience for one who really wanted to be pregnant...
God bless you,
Emily

Kate Wicker said...

Janet, you and your entire family are in my prayers. I am so, so sorry for your great loss, especially since it happens so close to a day when we are praying that our society will protect babies where they should be the safest of all - in their mother's womb.

God bless you in this time of heartache.

--Kate

Kate Wicker said...

Oh, and your sister is in my prayers as well.

House of Brungardt said...

Emily and Kate,

Thank you for your kind comments. It helps during this sorrowful time to know that so many people have been and are praying for us.

Janet

Colleen said...

Janet, I am very sorry for you and for the family.

Having gone through this myself, I know that while nothing anyone says can make it all better, it helped me to know that others went through this -- and survived!

God bless!

House of Brungardt said...

Yes, it does help to know others have been through this. I have found that quite a few women I know have had one. Some I knew about and some I didn't. But when you go through it yourself you have a new level of understanding. Let us all pray for each other.

Jamie Jo said...

I'm so sorry about the loss of your baby. I love these prayers, they are in my "Mothers Manual" and I love them and pray them every week during my holy hour. They always give me comfort and now after 7 years I can say these prayers really make me happy and proud to pray.

In time of miscarriage or any time of any loss of a child, the only comfort I have is knowing that being open to life, there's another child in Heaven, which is what God wants. (Heaven to be filled)

God Bless you, I will pray for you and your family's healing. Thanks for visiting my cooking blog. Yes, try the cake, it is truly the best cake ever!!

House of Brungardt said...

Thank you Jamie. I find great comfort in knowing that I have a child in heaven.