SHARE Atlanta

Dear All,

As my FB greeting reads, "In loving memory of our Angels...Happy New Year 2013," and this is tied with the wish for our SA families: "Hoping for peace, comfort, and happiness in 2013. The love stays...forever in our hearts."

The new year brings the hope for comfort and peace. With grief, there will still be ups and downs. SHARE Atlanta(SA) will continue to offer different ways to cope..in hopes of helping our families find their way down "the path of what will be."

SA's FB Page FULL of pictures and Information

Groups: Men and Women's Group: First Tuesday of each month, 7:30pm; Women's Group: Third Wed. of each month, 7 pm

Directions and times to our meetings (Topics are the same for each meeting. The men/women meeting is RSVP only.

January's Topic is "Grief and Secondary Losses"

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.

Emotions and Secondary Losses...on SA's website..by Marcia

Grief: During The First Year by Marcia

February's Topic is "Grief and the Emotions of Grief"

February's meeting topic is "Grief and the Emotions of Grief." We will be discussing how - anger, denial, shock, panic, sadness, etc. (all heart controlled emotions and considered the "stages of grief") influence the way we react each day. These emotions can be very intense, shocking, and scary for us.

Grief causes us to be on a roller coaster ride that goes up and down and is very hard to understand. It is in giving ourselves "permission to grieve," experiencing these emotions, and learning how to cope with these emotions that "hope" gradually surfaces. Then healing begins and continues.

The grieving process is one that many don't fully appreciate. As we discuss it, many of our feelings and reactions are validated, and we can learn to cope with them.

Coping Ideas will be shared and, if you would like, you could bring a little Valentine's treat to share with others in the group. At the Women's meeting, everyone will receive our Valentine's memento.

SA's Initial Support Page

March is "Grief and Your Relationships." We talk about how your grief touches EVERY relationship that you have (from how your respond to yourself to each and everyone you know...and some you don't know!). We will discuss why this is, what this means to us, and how to cope with other's comments (often hurtful when they don't really mean to be) or the lack of support from others. Also, we will share how some of the people around us are supportive and ways to encourage them and to thank them. We will have our brochure for Friends and Family here for you to take to them as well. We will have our March memento - to catch the wind!

SA's "Be Truthful in Grief" brochure (How friends and family can aid the grieving parent, and still take care of themselves.)

Supporting Our Other Children After a Loss Menu

April's topic is "Grief and Future Choices." Grief influences every choice we make. We will talk about the reasons behind this and ways to work with this situation. We talk about going to talk with our doctor, a high risk specialist (if our loss was near the middle to end of our pregnancy), an infertility specialist (if we had repeated miscarriage, one miscarriage, early loss before 14 weeks) and about discussing a birth plan with our OB. Finding a doctor that connects with us on EVERY level for our subsequent pregnancy is critical. Often it means changing doctors or including a specialist that knows the issues inside and out - that might touch us.

We talk with our doctors BEFORE we get pregnant again. Then, we are not caught up in the hormones and emotions of being pregnant. We establish our baseline for what to expect next time so we can know that we are doing all we can. Often, even when our primary care doctor has said there is nothing to do, a specialist (who has seen many, many similar situations...unlike a typical OB) can often suggest prevention and intervention before we ever become pregnant as well as ideas for during pregnancy. Then, we can feel more reassured as we approach the next part of our journey.

SHARE Atlanta's page for those who are pregnant again or thinking about a subsequent pregnancy

Some of SA's 2007 March for Babies Team
KICKOFF LUNCHEON

January through April - SA/MODS:

MODS: March for Babies is April 27, 2013!! March for Babies Kickoff January 30th.

MODS Kickoff Luncheon (Free) - RSVP to Marcia by Jan. 24th - We would love to have 10 SA members present.:

Wednesday, January 30, 2013
11:30 -12:15 pm Lunch
12:15 – 1:00 pm Program
Marriott Marquis
Atrium Ballroom
265 Peachtree Center Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30303

Please RSVP for KICKOFF LUNCHEON to Marcia via email by 1.24.13

We would love to fill a table of 10! Please email me ASAP if you'd like to join us or would like to consider joining us. It is always a fun time..good - food, information, and fellowship. If you have walked, think you'd like to walk, or not sure..please consider joining us!

Join our SA Team:

For more information:

2013 SHARE Atlanta/MOD's Walk and sign-up or sponsor the team or someone on our team!

MODS' Representatives, Jamie and Taisia, brought lunch in December! We had a wonderful discussion of how to further their mission and ours.

Angel and Baby
February 10, 2013 from 1:30 to 5:30 - RSVP
Join SA Parents
Long time and Newer Members/Family/Friends are invited!
Draw and Paint
Healing and Fun
Sips and Strokes

February Sips and Strokes - Angel Pictures: Angel Pictures with SHARE Atlanta Parents (a private gathering) at Sips and Strokes:

Sunday, Feb. 10th from 1:30 to 5:30 pm

Sips and Strokes 230 Hammond Dr NE Ste 402
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Sips and Strokes Info

Cost $35.00 (We do not want anyone to miss this opportunity due to the price. We have a special part of our budget that is set aside for support..just let us know if you'd like some help covering the cost.)

"Sharing and Caring" together as we draw and paint angel's holding precious babies. There will be food and plenty of support throughout this afternoon. Thanks to Elizabeth Blakemore for opening this option for SA parents. The SA group above shared that it was very healing and fun!

SHARE Atlanta's Angel of Hope
CT - Angel of Hope
SA Supports this Effort..
Consider Donating with SA
Words of Support from SA Families

January-February 14, 2012 Angel of Hope for CT Families:

Marcia's Original SA FB post about SA's desire to support the CT Families

Angel of Hope for CT Families:

The angel costs $14,500, and they are estimating that the total cost will be around $50,000. They are asking all of the angel groups to consider helping with this special outreach. At the moment, they plan to have the unveiling on the anniversary next December.

SHARE Atlanta's Donation Involvement for a CT angel:

Please send your donations to our long time treasurer and SA volunteer, Pam Slayback. Make the checks to SHARE Atlanta, Inc. and on the Memo line: CT Angel Outreach All donations are tax deductible - SA is a non profit/tax deductable group.

Email Pam to get her address to SEND SA/CT ANGEL DONATION. I didn't want to place her address online.

Thoughts and prayers: Please Email Marcia any thought or prayer that you might have for the CT families. We will combine these thoughts into a collective gift card to the CT families.

To be announced = 5 Bs Blanket Making Workshop with Tammy White AND Wellstar Inservice March 2013 with Marcia McGinnis

Sharing and Caring together as we learn to make and make blankets to take to local hospitals so other bereaved parents can wrap their baby in love..and learn about SA's Outreach and Support. AND, twice annual inservice with Wellstar will need support from our SA Volunteers!

Inservices for Awareness and Advocacy..Marcia McGinnis' "The Circle of Healing" provides information for nurses, social workers, chaplains, student nurses, Stephen Ministry, etc.

Here are a few links that I have included in our FB page to help parents cope with the holidays..and in facing the new year:

Beautiful keepsakes..

Healing Happens.. It takes courage to give ourselves "permission to grieve." With work, we can heal. Here are some stories from SA parents sharing different ways they found to help them down the path of healing. There is Hope as the new year approaches...hugs to SA families...mm

We hope you can join SA during some of our gatherings or on FB. Together we work to support one another as we walk the path of healing.

Take care,

Marcia

The love stays..forever in our hearts.

Since 1984