Creativity Through Grief
February 19, 2010
It’s hard to believe that 12 months have passed. Last year Dave and I were expecting our first child, a daughter we named Charlotte. She was due in July but died halfway through the pregnancy, leaving us stunned and overwhelmed by grief.Today is the first anniversary of Charlotte’s death, and I want to take this opportunity to honor her.
While our lives were filled with tremendous pain after the loss, the support and kindness of others helped us move forward. Losing Charlotte also gave me a new sense of openness, encouraging me to embrace the world around me and express myself through writing and photography.
She is the reason I eventually started this blog, which has turned out to be an incredible and unexpected gift.
While our lives were filled with tremendous pain after the loss, the support and kindness of others helped us move forward. Losing Charlotte also gave me a new sense of openness, encouraging me to embrace the world around me and express myself through writing and photography.
She is the reason I eventually started this blog, which has turned out to be an incredible and unexpected gift.
Cedar ...
Posted at 15:24h, 19 FebruaryErica…. to you and your husband,… hugs and heart-deep wishes for a peaceful day as you honor Charlotte.
Anonymous
Posted at 17:28h, 19 FebruaryErica, Thank you for sharing your gift.
Linda
Posted at 17:41h, 19 FebruaryHugs, tears and hope for the future to you two.
Erin @ I Heart New England
Posted at 18:14h, 19 FebruaryI truly value your outlook on life, and thank you for sharing this with us.
matthew houskeeper
Posted at 20:54h, 19 FebruaryAlthough it never goes away, hopefully with each each passing day, it gets a little easier to bear.
Margaret
Posted at 01:37h, 20 FebruaryErica, your grace and big heart really moves me. I hope you had some peaceful moments today and could feel some of the love that surrounds you. What a beautiful tribute to Charlotte…thank you.
Erica Houskeeper
Posted at 13:21h, 20 FebruaryCedar, Anonymous, Linda, Erin, Matt and Margs — Thank you so much for your kind words. Hearing from all of you really helped me get through a rough day. Take care.
A New England Life
Posted at 17:34h, 21 FebruaryI’m sorry for missing this post Erica. My heart goes out to you and your husband. I’m glad you’ve been able to move forward while finding a way to honor your daughter. She will be forever in your hearts and souls.
Sending you a hug,
Sharon
Erica Houskeeper
Posted at 23:00h, 21 FebruaryThank you Sharon.
Heather
Posted at 23:41h, 21 FebruaryWhat a wonderful, touching way to honor your daughter. I wish blessings of peace to both you and your husband.
Erica Houskeeper
Posted at 02:19h, 22 FebruaryMany thanks Heather.
Julie K.
Posted at 15:32h, 22 FebruaryErica, I have been so blessed to see how you honor Charlotte every day and to see your love for her shine through in everything you do. And what a gift Charlotte has been- her spirit lives on in all of our hearts and is strengthened every time you share your wonderful talents with us through this blog. I am so honored to have been able to witness some of what you and Dave have gone through this year and how your love and faith in eachother have kept you going and have made you far stronger than you probably ever thoght you could be. I had all three of you in my heart and prayers on Friday and wish you so much joy this coming year.
Erica Houskeeper
Posted at 13:28h, 23 FebruaryJulie, thank you for such sweet words and for being there for us!
Caroline
Posted at 17:36h, 10 MarchThinking of you guys. This is the first time in awhile I have checked out your blog. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Hope to see you tomorrow night if you can make
it. We need to catch up soon and get a cup of coffee/tea.
tia
Posted at 01:19h, 11 MarchErica, what a beautiful blog, and this post was a lovely tribute to your daughter. Your writing and photography are a wonderful way to honor her. Thanks for sharing it all.
tia
Erica Houskeeper
Posted at 19:37h, 12 MarchHi Caroline — Thanks so much for stopping by. We managed to get through the anniversary, and writing this post was very therapeutic. Let’s definitely catch up soon.
Hi Tia — Thank you so much. So good to hear from you.
Pingback:Thinking of Charlotte
Posted at 22:10h, 17 February[…] and rambling old barns. On the first anniversary of Charlotte’s death, I published a blog post about our year of grief with a photo I had taken on the western edge of Charlotte near Lake […]