Sunday, May 11, 2008

You Are Not a Tomb: Words to a Grieving Mom

A friend's daughter recently experienced the heart-wrenching pain of losing her unborn child. In her sorrow, the grieving woman told her mother, "I'm sitting around feeling kind of like a tomb. It's disturbing." Desiring to comfort her daughter in the midst of her anguish, my friend wrote the following words. When she shared them with me, I asked permission to post them here in hope that they might offer consolation to other women for whom this Mother's Day may be a day of mourning for a child they didn't have the opportunity to watch grow up.


You are not a tomb. You are the warm and wonderful world of a tiny soul whom God formed in the deepest recesses of quiet harmony. You are a heartbeat which brought comfort to a little one whose days had already been numbered. And that heart, that sound he heard every second of his life, was his melody, his lighthouse, washing him with a Mother's glow.

You are his playground from which he grew to his fullest height...his sandbox of delight, and when playtime ended, when God called, you became his place of rest, his momentary heaven, his green pasture. Can you think of a better place to await the Shepherd to take him home?

You are not a tomb. You are all this little one knew and had and within you he lived out his entire life. And if a final breath was drawn, it was not done alone, rather to the soft voice of heaven, and the stirring of a Mother's hope. He lived knowing the gentle tug of you are wanted.

You are not a tomb, you are the mystery of a life fully lived...and what you hold onto now is your body's final grief before it says good-bye. You are not a tomb...you are and always will be this baby's Mom.


"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139:13-16).

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4 comments:

Madeleine said...

Thankyou.

- although that seems inadequate for what the words you shared gave me but I cannot find words more than thankyou so thankyou.

KP said...

You're most welcome, Madeleine. I'm grateful to know that these words profited you and I so appreciate your taking the time to let me know.

When I checked your profile and saw that you're in New Zealand, I realized that you're one of the M's of MandM. I've heard one of your debates on abortion and greatly appreciated the substance and manner of your defense of the pro-life position. Thanks for your example.

Blessings to you and Matt.

mommyof7 (2inheaven) said...

If it is ok. I am going to post a link to your blog post from my blog.

KP said...

That's fine with me, mommyof7. I'd be honored. I hope the poem was of help to you and will be for others who have lost children. God bless.