This bookish feature is an original by me! I had the epiphany for this the other day when I was writing out my 15 bookish confessions. (See #7) A lot of times I like to go “beyond the book” and do something that will connect me with the book and characters a little more. It will pop up on Mondays! Be on the look out for which books caught my eye and made me go beyond just reading it!
*Spoiler Alert*
If you haven’t read this one, I’d advise you to turn around right now! I don’t want you to see what it’s about and you haven’t read it.
Ok since this is a fairly new release, I had to put that out there. This book is about something important and I wanted to make sure everyone knows why. Forever With You was released at the end of September, just in time for October. I say this because October is National Infant Loss and Miscarriage Month.
This is especially important to me because my mom actually suffered a miscarriage before me. Now I would like to spread awareness of this month by giving a guest post from my mom who will tell her story of my sister and her daughter that she and my dad lost.
“Hmmmm I don’t normally like to talk about this, so I may keep this short.
I had just found out I was pregnant. I think the only person who even knew about it was my husband. We were both so excited because we had been trying for so long. And then one day I realized I was late. I took about a dozen home tests and that was it. It was official. We were pregnant.
By week eight, we were already totally smitten with the baby. We hadn’t told anyone, we wanted to surprise them when we made it to the second trimester. It was a decision we both made because we wanted to make it a big announcement as we had been trying for so long.
By week thirteen I had just found out the gender and was ecstatic to learn I was having a princess who would soon become my world. But then tragedy struck. For some unknown reason, she just stopped growing. She was there and then she wasn’t. I had a dream where I was holding a baby and crying, but I had no idea why. I woke the next morning to a pain in my abdomen. My husband and I rushed to the hospital and it was there we discovered we had lost the baby.
We were both devastated. We had no idea what to start telling people, or if we even wanted to. The pain was so fresh and raw, we jut wanted to be alone. Her name was to be Hope. Even now as I write this I’m tearing up. I still miss her so much. She would have been my first child and I still think of her all the time when my date of conception would have been.
Later on in 88 and 95 I had two more girls, Patience and Faith. I just couldn’t go with the name Hope again. It would have been too much for me to bear. I will always remember Hope.”
After my mom told me this story, I decided a long time ago that I would name my first daughter Hope in memory of my older sister. (If I do indeed have a daughter in the future.) I asked my mom would that upset her and she teared up and said “Not at all. It would make me proud.”
So please, everyone keep those families who’ve suffered a miscarriage in your prayers. For this month and onward. A lot of times these things aren’t explained and the pain for them doesn’t go away.
In loving memory of Baby Hope <3
Have you ever had such a connection with a book that you had to go beyond just reading it?
Join me on Mondays with Beyond the Book!
Join me on Mondays with Beyond the Book!