SHARE Atlanta

Dear All,

A brief update to let you know some of what is happening and to invite you to join us at our various gatherings.

Groups:

Locations and times

Women's Group - 3rd Wednesday of each month - 7 pm

Men and Women's Group - 1st Friday of each month - 7:30 pm

Topics for June, July and August:

"Grief and Secondary Losses" - June's Topic.

Our primary loss is our precious baby...secondary losses are feelings and concepts like the loss of: innocence, hope, communication with others, self-worth, role of parenting, and a host of others. We will share what these are, how they influence our grief pattern and ways to cope with them. Grief is "doable" as we learn how to better cope. Consider joining us - no manner where along your path of healing you are. We gather insight from those who are at different places on the path.

We will talk about how grief influences our emotions (sadness, anger, guilt, fear, etc.) and ways to identify our feelings and cope with them. We are on the "yo-yo" pattern of grief from the moment we learn about the loss of our child. These emotions tied with the secondary losses are what carry us down the path. Learning to understand what is happening *to* us and how to cope with these feelings and reactions makes grief "doable." We each feel that our pain and subsequent grief is unique to us. In our pain, we often believe that what we are experiencing no one else *really* could share. Our reality is different than others who are grieving. Society would like for us to believe this (and we are a part of that society). Yes, there are parts of each person's walk that are unique, but there is much common ground...more than most understand. As we come to appreciate our new reality and our new *normal*, we don't feel so alone and afraid. Healing gradually happens. While healing is an individual effort, joining together helps us sort through how we might travel our path.

"Grief and Our Relationships" - August's Topic

We combine the topics of the two proceeding months (secondary losses - loss of: innocence - role or parenting a living child - self-worth - control - hope and the stages/emotions of grief: sadness, panic, denial, shock, release, confusion, etc) and see how every relationship is influenced by these losses and emotions and that our relationships are reflected in our emotions and losses. We learn more coping skills on dealing with these situations as we better understand the grieving process.

Memorial Brick Once Per Year Orders...by August 15 - These will be placed by the fall holidays.

- August 15 is the date for getting your memorial brick order to Jennifer. This link provides the information to order a pathway or a keepsake memorial brick. We offer this very special memento once a year. At the end of the website page, you will find a link to the SA Angel Garden and Path's story.

SHARE Atlanta Places in the Top TEN in 2010!! As we Walk to Remember our Special Babies: We are still waiting to hear details, but we do know that we placed in the Top Ten Downtown Teams for the sixth year in a row!!! We raised close to $27,000. Way to go SHARE Atlanta Team!! Thanks to our hard working and dedicated Team Captain, Cindy Ivey! Our Top Walker, once again, is Elise Beltrami!! Congratulations!! More on this later...

SA on WSB TV with MODS - 3.22.10 - click to view our People To People Piece - MODS helped this happen because of our support and success of the MODS.

SHARE Atlanta's and The Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community's Story with Adrianne Verbanac, Cindy Ivey, Jennifer Greer, and Marcia McGinnis. It shares our mission, our goals, our stories and mementos. We thank WSB TV and the March of Dimes for giving us another Awareness and Advocacy Opportunity for the Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community! We thank the MODS' for making a difference for so many of our members and for other families across the USA.

Mother's Day Program and Group: We had a small group at our angel on Mother's Day Saturday. We had a very special time together. We read some poems, shared some tender thoughts about our children and released our balloons. I thank those who came for sharing and caring. Hopefully, we can do this - with more notice - next year. Our memento angel corsages were a special treasure.

Father's Day, Links, and our Gatherings: We are thinking about each of you as you move through these months. Know that we care... Join us at our groups or events and connect with others who do understand. I gave out Father's Day booklets last month to moms at my meeting, and I still have some left for anyone who joins us this Wed. Just as there is Mother's Day support on our website, there is Father's Day information for our dads.

Anniversaries, Due Dates, and Holidays (Father's Menu)

We hope you will join us this Wed. for the Women's Grief Support Group. Learning about the grief walk and ways to cope with our emotions and reactions helps us heal. Hope for healing is why SHARE Atlanta continues. We also continue because of families who have experienced the loss of their baby who, then, return to support other families. Together, we can make a difference for one another.

Take care,

Marcia

The love stays...forever in our hearts.

Since 1984

Website since 1995

SHARE Atlanta's Website with links to our forums, our programs, and other information.

Coping Suggestions...Mementos, Ideas, etc.