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Acts of Kindness to Honor Others

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How to honour a loved one you have lost through an act of kindness

I am a big believer in turning challenges in life into opportunities to grow.  Every person will face frustration, disappointment, sadness, and heartache… and every person can also choose what to do in each situation.  Will we succumb to our grief or use our experiences to learn and help others?

Last year we lost our third baby in a miscarriage.  Without sharing all the details, I’ll just say that I have been on an emotional roller coaster the past year, and that I have felt a great range of feelings that have been very hard to deal with at times.

A few weeks ago it hit me that it had been nearly one year since we lost our baby.  The whole morning I was on the brink of tears, feeling very down, until suddenly a thought came to me.  Surely it was not uplifting the memory of my child to be so stuck in grief.  Maybe I should try to find a positive way to address my feelings, to do something with them instead of let them control me.

What if I decided to offer an act of kindness in memory of my baby, to focus on how I could honor him/her, instead of using all my emotional energy to relive my sadness over and over?

I had done things like this before – offered service in memory of our lost child – but I was usually in a “good” state of mind during those times.  This was the first time I was feeling really, really down… and decided to do an act of kindness to intentionally turn things around and uplift my spirits.

Please note:  I believe that giving yourself time to mourn, in whatever way you choose, is very important.  It had been more than 11 months since I lost my baby, however, and I felt I needed to go a step beyond this.  I am not belittling the experience of anyone else or saying that one should not have time to grieve. This story simply shares my feelings at a certain point in my journey.

So I told the boys that we were going to make three plates of goodies for people who had supported our family during the past year, and we bundled into the car to head to the grocery store.  Ideally I would have baked some treats myself, but I knew that would just be too much for me to handle right then.  So we chose some packages of cookies and sweets, and then three plates we could give away.

When we got home, we opened all the packages and the boys did some sampling as we divided them onto the plates.  My heart was racing when I thought about what I would say when we were dropping these plates off.  Would I tell the people why I was leaving them treats?

Bringing Goodies Simple Acts of Kindness

When we wrote three “thank you” cards – I simply stated that I was very grateful for their kindness and support during the past year, and that it had made a big difference to my family and I.  I decided not to say anything about the miscarriage… I didn’t want anyone to focus on my loss, but instead just wanted them to feel appreciated.

I felt it was enough for me to know why I was doing this.

We called and sent texts to two of the friends, to see if they were around – ones who had helped me with childcare and cleaning which I could never show enough appreciation for.  We knocked on the door and chatted for a few minutes.

The third plate went to the couple who owns the Fish and Chips shop on our street corner.  They are so sweet and have several times given the boys lollipops while they are waiting for our food to cook.  Since we do not have any close relatives in Australia, having these two elderly people care about my boys and treat them so sweetly has been a very special experience to me.  I don’t think they know how much I enjoy seeing them on our weekly/fortnightly trip to their shop… or the gratitude I feel just knowing they are there when I would like some help to prepare dinner.

Act of Kindness Bring a Plate of Goodies

It took more energy to do this act of kindness than it would have to watch movies all day and feel sorry for myself – but I am so glad I chose to put in the effort.  When the day was over, I was very grateful that I had decided to do something to honor my child, instead of let the sadness of missing him/her overcome my day.

Although they may never know it, each bite of sweetness my friends took and any warm fuzzy feelings they got from receiving the gift – brought relief to my aching heart.

Today marks one year since we knew for sure that we lost our baby — I will never ever forget that call.  I am so grateful for the love and support I have received from friends both in person and online.  I feel more at peace with our situation though I realize that the feelings of loss will probably never go away.

I hope I will remember this experience in the future, if I am feeling sad, so that I will take ownership of my feelings and decide to use them to grow and to share love, instead of allow them keep me in a place of sorrow.

***************************

I dedicate the sharing of my story and the writing of this article to Atlas Gavin Ellerbee, the son of one of my best friends Taylor and her husband Dylan.

After his passing, they shared: “Atlas taught us in his brief life that it is hope and love, not fear and sadness, that should drive us.  His family will forever miss him but are choosing, as they did during his short life, to celebrate what he gave. The family asks that you remember Atlas by living life with love, strength, endurance and hope. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Conner Wayne Combs Foundation for pPROM.”

Taylor and Dylan have been amazing examples to me of moving forward through acts of kindness.

If you are looking for a way to honor someone, I invite you to give to the Connor Wayne Combs Foundation for pPROM in memory of Atlas and the person you have lost.  Every little bit counts – and each act of kindness goes so much farther than we could ever imagine.

Thank you for reading my story and feel free to share your own in the comments below.

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Filed Under: Acts of Kindness, Blog

About Chelsea Lee Smith

Author, certified parent educator, and mother of three with a background in Communications and Counselling, Chelsea provides resources to parents and teachers who want to incorporate personal growth into everyday moments. Follow her @momentsaday on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sheila @ Pennies of Time

    January 22, 2014 at 12:36 am

    Thank you for providing a chance for us to really think about what we should be doing when feeling down. I think that this post is important because we need to be reaching out to those that have experienced loss, and we also need to remember that an important way to recover from heartache is to help others when ready. I am sorry for your loss, Chelsea, and admire how lovingly you are sharing and teaching us about loss.

    Reply
  2. Andrea

    January 25, 2014 at 1:00 am

    I can really relate to your post. I was pregnant with my second child and miscarried. My baby would’ve turned a year old in January. I find as time goes on it does get a little easier. But every time the anniversary of the day I lost my baby and my due date roll around..,it still hits my hard…I could stay in bed for days and sob.
    Thank you for such a beautiful post. This year when my baby’s birthday comes, me and my daughter are gonna do this act of kindness in memory of our baby. Such a beautiful tribute.
    Until a woman has went through this pain, it’s hard for them to comprehend how you feel.
    Our babies will be waiting for us at the gates of Heaven, what a wonderful day that will be 🙂 prayers to you and your family.

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lee Smith

      January 25, 2014 at 8:58 pm

      Thanks so much for taking the time to share your story Andrea and I’m so honored you are going to do an act of kindness in honor of your little angel. xo

      Reply
  3. jennifer prod

    March 26, 2014 at 1:44 am

    your touching story rings true for me – i started doing random acts of kindness a couple months before i had a miscarriage, and now i’ve continued doing random acts in the memory of my lost child.

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lee Smith

      March 26, 2014 at 9:26 pm

      Oh Jennifer your comment really touched my heart. I popped over to your blog and have been so inspired by your positive messages online. I am so glad to be in touch and am sending healing thoughts your way as you spread happiness in your child’s memory. xx

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 15 Lessons I Learned From My Miscarriage - For Every Mom says:
    October 20, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    […] have is an opportunity to make a better life, to see reality more fully, to renew ourselves, and to give more selflessly.  It may take a while to put it all in perspective after experiencing loss, but challenges can […]

    Reply

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Chelsea Lee Smith is an author, certified parent educator, and mother of three children with a background in Communications and Counselling. She provides resources to parents and teachers who want to incorporate personal growth into everyday moments. Browse the shop and blog categories to find practical inspiration for family life including tips, activities, printable pages, and resource recommendations.

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