In late July of 2015, our family lost our son, Brody Patrick, to an umbilical cord accident at 37 weeks’ gestation. We were devastated beyond words and have experienced the peaks and valleys of grief daily since we lost our little boy. I realized in experiencing this loss, that life can go one of two ways. I can dig a hole, nuzzle into a deep depression, and waste the very one life I've been given, or I can rise up, embrace my grief and turn it into something positive that will help others that have hurt in the way my family has hurt in losing Brody. You'll be pleased to know that I've chosen the harder road...the one where I realize my own true strength (and find it when I don't feel I have it), and put myself out there to help others. I've spoken at various events in Brody's honor, talked about him, shared information about Faith's Lodge, and it's been rewarding to know that in sharing our story, I'm sharing the opportunity for others to open up, for the topic of child loss to be less 'hush-hush' or 'awkward' and 'uncomfortable'. By sharing our story, Faith's Lodge will continue to grow and help families like mine, get the support we need, when we need it most.
I joined the board for Faith's Lodge in October of 2016 as a way to turn my grief into positive passion in Brody's honor. My husband and I experienced Faith's Lodge in April of 2016 and met new friends, that are our support structure in grief. For the first time since losing our son, we felt comfortable enough to be open in sharing our pain with others that have traveled the same or similar paths. My experience as a guest at Faith's Lodge was priceless. It helped for my husband to open up about his grief, and for me to understand his way of processing grief. A staggering statistic that a friend shared with me is that marriage is at a 50% greater risk of divorce, having suffered the loss of a child. The unbelievable amount of stress on a partnership is overwhelming. Faith's Lodge was a godsend to my husband and I, and helped us get on a new path in positive communication with each other. I could never put a price on that, and it is my mission to allow other couples and families to have the same opportunity that Dave and I did.
It was a beautiful, crisp, Minnesota fall day in September when we buried our son. At a quaint little cemetery north of Brainerd, MN, we asked family to make a commitment to themselves to do something good in Brody's honor. To put good back into the world the way we know Brody would have. We solidified this promise with a balloon release to the song 'Send Me On My Way'. I live and breathe my promise to my little man daily, and ask that family and friends, even distant acquaintances that read this, will do the same. For Brody, or for other's they've lost.
I recently heard the saying that grief is love with no place to go. This statement really resonated with me. It is painful beyond words when your love has no place to go, and you have reminders constantly of what you lost, what you could have had, and what just didn't happen.
We invite you to come out and honor Brody with us on Saturday, May 20th at Freedom Field for a 5K walk, good company, and good exercise. We’d like to make this an annual tradition in honoring Brody, and would love for you to be a part of it. If you can’t make it, making a donation in Brody’s honor to help support families that have suffered loss would be incredibly generous and appreciated beyond words. We appreciate your support in Faith’s Lodge and believe whole-heartedly that your contribution goes to those that need it most in the darkest moments of life.