THE MISSION

Welcome Mothers, Fathers, Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends and anyone else who needs an ear...Please come with an open heart.

This is a place for anyone who has felt the loss of a child. Treat this as a communication haven regardless of how or when you felt your loss. My definition of loss: miscarriage at any stage, still birth regardless of week gestation, infant death at any month, and loss of a child even if your child was all grown up. For me they all hold the same root of devestation. None are more profound or more "easily" dealt with than another.

Please cry if you need to.
Please connect with others who are in your same space.
Please email me if you feel led to
Please comment so we know what you need
Please tell your story

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Nature Personified

I love Emma's burning bush. It represents everything tangible and quantifiable about my missing child.
We measure it September 8th - mark it's growth in her scrapbook as if we were celebrating another three inches on her dark little third grade head.
In the spring, we de-tree it by pulling out the rooting acorns embedded in her dirt.

It 'blooms' every fall, sometimes in the week of her birthday - just like she would have, another year older, another grade of school.

We tend to it as winter approaches - picking up fallen leaves and sticks that litter the inner circle of love J made for her.

I am protective of that space - stepping in front of it when a rouge softball misses its mark to the far left, willing to take a bruise to the shin so that my Emma, the bush - is safe. Any mother would, right?

And so, this evening - this glorious suto-summer like evening (and yes - if you read here consistently that means we went from suto-winter to suto-summer in a miraculous shift somehow bypassing spring at all. I'm told it's coming) anyway - on such a glorious evening when coming inside was a tragic thought after grilling out, eating out, playing afore mentioned softball, and tennis outside, I dragged myself into the kitchen to clean up the last of the dishes. My other three ran through the field, soaking in every last ounce of sunshine willing to grace our day.

Minutes later, I glanced out the window and my heart stopped. The Comedian was touching Emma's bush. It looked so vulnerable, completely bare of any covering: no leaves, no snow, no way to protect itself. She was running the ends of the branches through her fingers over and over and over. I felt this rush of fear, what if she breaks a branch? what if she hurts her sister? - much like I was watching them fight over a pair of well-used, but coveted pants.

I acually opened the door to say something - anything - to get my sweet, would-never-hurt-a-soul daughter to stop touching the naked branches. It was tearing me up. I knew it was irrational. I knew it was ridiculous. It is a bush! A plant. A living piece of nature meant to represent my long gone daughter, but not to embody her in any physical way.

Even so, I had nearly opened my mouth to speak unplanned words when Comedian looked up and met my eyes. She spoke first, "Oh, Hi Mama. I was just talking to Emma. I was just telling she that she's leaves are going to come back and we are going to take a picture of she's leaves."

The tears that hid behind my eyes came simultaneously with my smile.

"Yes we are" I said, "You bet we are." And we held hands as she got ready for bed.
And so, you see - all these years later the irrational thoughts and desperate need for connection, in some way - through any portal, still remains. The difference? I know she's not coming back. I no longer think I can bring her back. Instead, I embrace these things: a bush, a stone angel, a scrapbook, a door opening of it's own accord, a timely song played on the radio...as my daughter.
Irrational - maybe. Necessary - definately.

12 comments:

AnotherDreamer said...

That is so sweet, and so moving.

Kristin said...

Your daughter is wonderful!

Martha@A Sense of Humor is Essential said...

Not irrational, perfectly rational and loving of sweet Emma.
Your daughters are just wonderful.

Barbara said...

It's beautiful, you're beautiful and your daughters are beautiful!

xxx

Dora said...

Beautiful! Hugs to you and the Comedian.

awa.ke in the wor.ld said...

Beautiful...

Awa.ke in the wo.rld has a new blog at http://becomingwhole.wordpress.com/. Explanations and updates will be forthcoming.

Bluebird said...

Oh sweetie, how beautiful. And how preciosu of the Comedian.

Thank you for sharing this. As you may know, we have trees planted in memory of our Babies, and sometimes I feel rather irrational about them as well. The other night we were talking about whether they would bloom, and he said, "the girl tree" this, and "Baby A" that. . . I felt the need to correct him - "you mean the pink tree and the white tree" - but of course I knew what he meant. And often say the same when talking to myself. It's all we have. We hold on to - and take care of - all we have.

Sara said...

Love this story

LuckyOnce said...

Obviously, as a mother your feeling would be totally different than a stranger, but my first thought when I read that she was touching the bush was how lovely it was that she was bonding with her sister. Hopefully as the years go on you can allow Emma to get a few "bruises" (As she inevitably will) all the while still feeling like you're protecting her enough. (I would like to do something similar - plant a tree or bush - once we're settled in a house where we plan to stay for a long time.)

Michelle said...

That is just so beautiful! She is just so sweet!

Dalene said...

That's a touching story, Cara. Thanks for sharing. I am waiting for Baker's lilac to bloom for the first time since he died. I think it survived the winter--it looks quite healthy and ready to burst with color next month.

CLC said...

Oh,wow, that made me cry. How touching.

Lost Found Connections Abound! It Works - So Let's Use It!

Submit My News Click here to submit my news to the LFCA

CATCH UP FROM THE START!

TO READ MY STORY FROM THE BEGINNING CLICK HERE THEN READ THE 7 COUNTDOWN POSTS TO EMMA'S EIGHTH BIRTHDAY!


Time Is Both My Best Ally and My Worst Enemy: My Meltdown 8 Years Later