Grief for a Tiny Child Lost

My daughter and her partner have been grief stricken after losing her 20 week old foetus/baby.

Apart from being blown away by her maturity, passion and depth of grief, I was impressed by the richness of the process they have chosen to say goodbye to the little one.

They have collected a photo of his tiny hand, a set of hand and foot prints, and the clothes he was dressed in after birth and taken it to our favorite framer to put together in a box frame.

They also sang a song for him to the family on Sunday. His older brother made a clay model of his little brother's initial 'Z' (for Zander). They chose a beautiful place for him in the nearby State Forest and buried his ashes and the 'Z' near the junction of two rivers.

While it still hurts like crazy, they have woven together a rich tapestry of thoughts and memories so his tiny presence will last their lifetime.

I found this lovely poem online that says it all.

"These are my footprints,
so perfect and so small.
These tiny footprints
never touched the ground at all.
Not one tiny footprint,
for now I have wings.
These tiny footprints were meant
for other things.
You will hear my tiny footprints,
in the patter of the rain.
Gentle drops like angel's tears,
of joy and not from pain.
You will see my tiny footprints,
in each butterfly's lazy dance.
I'll let you know I'm with you,
if you just give me the chance.
You will see my tiny footprints,
in the rustle of the leaves.
I will whisper names into the wind,
and call each one that grieves.
Most of all, these tiny footprints,
are found on Mummy and Daddy's hearts.
'Cause even though I'm gone now,
We'll never truly part."

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Blog pal ann penned a small Poem for him.......

"Precious Zander
New to earth and
New to sky"

...... I like that.