Christmas Basket Delivery

As I was working on memory albums, the thought occurred to me that it would be really nice for a group of us angel moms (and ANYONE else who would like to participate)  to deliver Christmas baskets to the hospital for the new angel moms, rather than me just doing it by myself.

So...in the spirit of Christmas, and in honor of our precious babies, I would like to see how many of our LOCAL Arizona ladies would like to do the following:

Meet Saturday morning, December 11th, at 10:00 in front of labor and delivery at Banner Desert Medical Center.

Bring yourself, or a donation to add to our baskets. It could be anything-- candles, teddy bears, photo frames, etc. You can choose to attach a note to the item, stating your angel baby's name. Here's an example:

I know this is last minute, but I really hope it works out for you ladies. I think you will be blessed! Please leave a comment here or on our FACEBOOK page if you plan to participate. THANK YOU!!

Wishing you peace this Christmas season,

Dedicated to our Angel Families

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tomorrow is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day

October 15- A day of remembrance- but also a day of awareness for those who have no idea what it's like to lose a baby- or just how terribly common it is.

As we go through the day with all the activities we have planned- let us always be aware that there are people who are suffering. Let us never judge anyone because of the way they look, act, or think. For we never know what they have possibly just been through.
Let us forever be that listening ear, that shoulder to cry on, that one friend that the hurting can lean on in their time of pain. May we be a light and a blessing to all those around us.

For our angels,

Heaven's Gift

"Heaven's Gift"...that's what we chose to have written on Grant's grave stone.  It is also written across the wall in our house that holds his picture frame and shadow box. So simple, really; but it means the world to us.  Grant was truly, a gift from Heaven. In many ways. In spite of all this pain and suffering that we have felt,  I am able to look back and see many gifts- the gift of seeing a positive pregnancy test for the first time.  (with Jake we had a blood test since we were doing treatments) I don't know, but I always wanted to take a pregnancy test and see one with two pink lines- I always wondered what that felt like!
We also received the gift of feeling that sense of "Hey, we conceived without a bunch of doctors present for the occasion!"
If you've ever struggled with infertility you know what I mean when I say this.

As great as all that was, I think the most important gift we got from Grant, was the gift of love and compassion for others. While I can't EVER say that I enjoy this new world of baby loss; I CAN say that it has made me so much more aware of other people's struggles and pain. I think I was so ignorant before this- so wrapped up in all the things that really mean nothing at all. I was judgmental too- never meaning to be, but I think I was in many respects. It's so easy to point fingers at other people and how they are handling different things in their life. But to really sit down and LISTEN- that's all that people want- they want someone to listen. Someone to genuinely care about what's going on.  Though I can still use improvement in my listening skills, and perhaps send out more encouraging cards or emails, I can see that I am making a real effort. When I am busy, DOING this ministry, it is then that I feel peace, and healing and progress. Grief recovery is difficult, long, and it involves taking baby steps.
Now that I have been through it, I am able to know how to help someone else.  As one of my girlfriends said once, "One can never say that Grant did not have a purpose in his short life- for it was God who purposed him for great things!"

Thank you, son, for teaching me what true love is all about.

Prayers needed for Baby Elizabeth & family

Baby Elizabeth is the daughter of a friend of a friend of mine. She was born a little over a week ago, and after a series of tests was given the diagnosis of Trisomy 13.  This is near and dear to my heart, as our little Grant was diagnosed with either T13 or T18.  Please be in prayer for the Trompler family as they walk this difficult journey with their little angel.

You can follow them on Caringbridge here .

Wishing you peace today and everyday,

Kathlyn Joy Davis

We would like to wish Kathlyn Joy a very happy First Birthday in Heaven today.  Please keep her parents, Beth and John, in your prayers as they celebrate the all too short life of their beautiful daughter.
We love you, Kathlyn!

Happy Birthday, Bryston Ray!

I really hate it when people don't remember the anniversaries. Worse than that, I hate it when people do remember it, but don't do anything to acknowledge it.  Because I know how much it hurts when folks don't acknowledge, I have made the vow not to do the same.  That being said, today is the year marker for a very special little angel, born July 24, 2009 to Jennifer & Ty Davison. You can read their story on her  blog.  Jennifer had a very special request- that folks would buy little Bryston a balloon, put his name on it, and send it up to Heaven.  I'm sure if you want to, it's not too late to do it. Here are a couple pics of ours...we sent one to Grant too. Happy Birthday, Bryston! We love you, and your mommy and daddy!

Remembering the little boy who started it all

Today, as we remember Grant on his 23 month "birthday" in Heaven, we are thankful for his short life and the moments we got to spend with him. We are also grateful for the beautiful families we have met on our journey and the wonderful friendships we have made. We hope that Granting Hope has been a blessing to you all. We too, have been blessed by you.

Thanks for the beautiful artwork, Carly.

The Butterfly Beach

For those of you who have been blessed by Carly's ministry in the past- she is now drawing butterflies on the beach. If you go to the website, you can choose from a variety of scenes and wordings in memory of your child. Purchase price is $20. If you would prefer, Carly will be personalizing butterflies in the sand in September.
Please check out this breathtaking work of art at http://www.thebutterflybeach.blogspot.com/

Blessings,

Name Gallery Pics

I just wanted to come on real quick and share the latest "Grant" name gallery photos. There's nothing an angel mommy likes better than to see her child's name in a thousand different ways. So I was thinking I would like to make an official request- Grant's second birthday in Heaven is coming up in two months. I would love to see many more pics of Grant's name- it can be as simple as spelling his name out with magnetic letters. You can also get ideas by clicking above on "Grant's Name Gallery". I think it will be fun to see how many I get by the time his birthday gets here. Thanks in advance for participating- it means more than you know.

These two pics were made by Laura, of http://www.angelbabynames.blogspot.com/ I thought they were beautiful. And yes, that's a s'more you see. I craved and ate tons of s'mores while pregnant with him. I sure hope they have s'mores in Heaven b/c he really loved them. =)

Prayers for a special angel's family

GHM received a prayer request today for Rebecca & Chad Huffstutler. They had to bury their sweet angel girl today.
Thank you for your prayers and thoughts of love.

Angel Baby Names with their beautiful mothers

To all the mothers of angels out there...We will never forget.

Evan Matthew Hall; precious son of Melani Hall

Rachel Marie Wilcox; precious daughter ofJulie Wilcox

Brooklynne Grace Ravert; precious daughter ofSarah Joy Ravert

Bryston Ray Davison; precious son of Jennifer Davison

Peanut Davison; precious little one of Jennifer Davison

Evan Matthew Paugh; precious son of Linda Paugh

Vikki-Ann Ruby Ripia; precious daughter of Ani Tamaki

Morgan Alyssa Yodock; precious daughter of April Yodock

Baby Blumpy Yodock; precious little one of April Yodock

Grant Thomas Abernathy; precious son of Jody Abernathy

International Babylost Mother's Day is May 2, 2010

Granting Hope Ministries wants to wish every mommy of an angel a very peaceful babylost Mother's Day.  Because of Carly Marie Dudley of http://www.namesinthesand.net/ we have this beautiful day to honor mothers of angels. 

We are posting names of angel babies and their mommies on our Facebook page under "Discussions".  We will also be posting these names here. If you would like to have your baby's name posted on our pages, please email me at jakesmom04@hotmail.com  or leave a comment on this blog. 

Here again is the beautiful tribute to us and our precious children. 



Wishing you peace and love,

More Memory Box Designs

Our Newest Memory Boxes

(handmade by Jody's sister)

Why we do what we do

From baby Evan's mommy-
Granting Hope Ministries...

"I can't express how grateful I am for Jody and her husband for starting this ministry. They were inspired to start the ministry in honor of their son Grant, who they lost at just 28 weeks gestation. To have to leave the hospital without our baby in our arms was very frightening and traumatic to think about for me(as I have said before), I couldn't imagine how I would ever be able to do it. When it came time to leave, my nurse brought in this basket full of Evan's stuff. The little bear they took pictures with, his little outfit, tape measure...all his stuff, the only physical remains of our little boy. Receiving this basket and not having to leave the hospital with completely empty arms made our crappy day just a little bit better. With all the resources, scriptures, poems, music I wasn't completely lost. I didn't feel totally alone. Having this information, and all the beautiful stuff that came with our basket has helped tremendously in my healing. My hope along with theirs is that EVERY family that loses a baby in the Phoenix area(at least) would be able to receive one of these wonderful baskets."

I am so thankful for all the donations and prayers we have gotten in support of Granting Hope.  Though I wish there was never a need for an organization like Granting Hope, I am happy that it is speaking to people's hearts and helping them to find the peace and healing they need to survive the loss of a child.

May 2, 2010 is International Babylost Mother's Day

Here is the beautiful clip made in honor of all of us who have lost our children.  Thanks, Carly!

Valentine's Day

Flowers for our little "Valentine".  February 14 marks 18 months since we held our Grant in our arms.  I would love to hear how you will remember your little angel on Valentine's Day.  We took these flowers up a few days ago and put them on Grant's grave. Tomorrow, we will light a candle and smile; because we know that our love never ends. Death may be able to separate us temporarily, but the love will last forever.

Please feel free to add your rememberances in the comment section. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

Our newest infant gowns

I love just sitting back and observing how God works.  From day one I have had a peace about this ministry; knowing that God was going to provide everything for it.  At this moment we have completely used up all our donation funds; therefore, we are at a halt on "production", or rather, a small "bend" in the road. Several days ago we received an email message from a dear friend informing us that we should watch our mail for a package.  True to her word a package arrived and I tore it open excitedly to find two beautiful burial gowns for infant girls. I am not trained in the beautiful art of sewing; so I have to rely on friends to provide me with them. Up until this time, we have only delivered gowns for infant boys to the hospital- and now we have a beautiful design for the girls!
Here is a picture of the back of the gown and then the front of the gown:

My friend who made these gowns knows the pain of losing a child very well.  Her daughter's name was Megan Elizabeth; and she was just 36 weeks gestation when she went to Heaven. The mommies who eventually receive these gowns can be comforted in the knowledge that Megan's mommy will be praying for them in their time of sorrow.  I cannot think of a better way to honor Megan than for her mommy to share her gifts with others who are experiencing the same loss.  Thank you, Kellie, for your hard work, prayers, and compassion toward others who are hurting.

New Year's Delivery

This past Saturday, Kris, Jake, and I took a load of Remembrance Baskets to Banner Desert Medical Center. I had been meaning to get these delivered before Christmas, but had run of out chipboard and time. Since I happen to believe that everything happens the way it does for a reason, I tried not to get too stressed about it.

We pulled up to the maternity entrance and I ran in to see if I could find a cart. The girl at the front desk was very young, and had absolutely no idea who I was, or what I was doing there, and she had no idea who the labor and delivery nurses were that I usually deal with. Long story short, I ended up walking the halls to labor and delivery and talked with a lady behind that desk. She didn't know me either, but she did know the nurses I needed to see and she informed me that neither were working that evening. However, she did think she could help me so she went looking for a cart and brought it out to my truck where we both proceeded to load baskets. After we were finished, I handed her a stack of Hope cards (business cards, but I hate calling them that b/c this is NOT a business)and asked her to give them to my nurses. She said she would, and then told me that she might take one and use the info herself, since she lost her grown son a little over a year ago. In talking with her, I learned that her son was 36 yrs old, and died suddenly of a stroke one month before we lost our little Grant. We shared stories and both decided that it simply does not matter one bit if your child is a baby or a grown adult- it's still painful to lose them because they are YOUR CHILD.

I don't know that I will ever come to the place where I can say I am happy that we lost our child; it still hurts very much, and we miss him every single day. However, losing my son has taught me many GOOD things, one of those being that the world and just life in general, can be a very painful place. There is so much pain out there, sometimes I am overwhelmed at where to begin. People that we meet every single day, just like this lady- people in need of a kind word, a loving hug, and prayers that they will find comfort, peace, healing, and the love of God in their hearts.