There is no time limit on grief. So don’t rush yourself or let others rush you

Life has no remote, you have to get up and change it

When you hear nobody dies from a broken heart it comes from somebody that has never lost a child

Grieving the loss of a child is a process, it begins the day your child passes
and ends the day the parent joins them – B.J.Karrer

Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go,  just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have over come. You Can Do It!!!

You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,
smarter than you think – Christopher Robin

To grieve is to be reminded of you in every instance of beauty

We each have to find our own way through our grief. Just as each child is special and different, so is each mother, and our pain when our child dies is unique to us,  but we do not have to walk the path alone

A Mother’s job is to keep her childsafe…An Angel Mother’s job is to keep her Child’s memory alive

A mother is not defined by the number of children you see,  but by the love she holds in her heart

Grieving allows us to heal, to remember with love rather than pain. It is a sorting process, one by one you let go of the things that are gone and you mourn for them

And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in

Sometimes we are only given a few minutes with the one we love,  and a thousand hours to spend thinking of them

1 year doesn’t change anything, it just means I miss you more

The grieving heart speaks a language the mortal heart has no way to understand

A mother’s grief and fears are not signs of weakness and self pity, but manifestations of great love and a courage born of desperation and hope

There’s this place in me where your fingerprints still rest,  your kisses still linger and your whispers softly echo,  it’s the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me

If your spirit tells you it’s time to weep listen

The most painful tears are not the ones that fall from your eyes and cover your face. The most painful are the ones that fall from your heart and cover your soul.

Today, why don’t you love a little deeper, laugh a little louder, hold the ones you love a little tighter. Because tomorrow is NEVER promised

Sometimes it is OK if the only thing you did today was breathe

When someone says you’ve changed it simply means you’ve stopped living your life their way!

It’s going to be alright,  maybe not today, but someday

Enjoy life no matter how hard it may seem. When life gives you a thousand reasons to cry, show the world that you have a million reasons to smile

In the darkness there is always light, in the light there is always hope, in hope there is always love. Even though you may feel it, you are not alone

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched – but are felt in the heart – hope is grief’s best music

The most memorable people in your life will be the people who loved you when you were not loving yourself

Closed a chapter of my life today, it wasn’t easy, but sometimes you have to let go and realise that sometimes that’s all it is…a chapter, not the whole novel

Move on?
To “move on” is to put something behind you, forget about it and never look back
To “go on” is to forever carry it forward with you and never forget
A bereaved parent will never move on, we simply go on

Not all scars show, not all wounds heal, sometimes you can’t see the pain that someone feels

Enjoy life,  no matter how hard it may seem, when life gives you a thousand reasons to cry, show the world that you have a million reasons to smile

In life you will realise there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But the most important are the ones who bring out the best in you, respect you and accept you for who you are. Those are the ones worth keeping around

On both sides of the door is healing and light, beauty all around. Look hard enough and you will find it

Today is a new day, you can start fresh and begin again, wipe the slate clean again
Today you an embrace kindness, practice compassion, stand up for justice
Talk to strangers, ask for help, offer hope, listen with your whole heart, work for the common good, live well
You can be the change you wish to see in the world

Depression is not a weakness, it is a sign you have been trying to be strong for far too long

When you think you’re not happy with your life, always think that someone is happy simply because you exist

The 5 W’s of life…

Who you are is what makes you special, don’t change for anyone
What lies ahead will always be a mystery, do not be afraid to explore
When life pushes you over, you push back harder
Where there are choices to make, make the one you won’t regret
Why things happen will never be certain, take it in your stride and move forward

Life is like a book. Some chapters sad, some happy and some exciting. But if you never turn the page…you will never know what the next chapter holds

Everything will be OK in the end, if it’s not OK, then it’s not the end

Some people think that to be strong is to never feel pain. In reality the strongest people are the ones who feel it, understand it and accept it

Dreams are like caterpillars which must push past the walls, overcome the struggles in order to be able to fly. We hold the ability to fulfil our dreams in the palm of our hand, driven by our attitude and passion

Today, I choose to let go of the pain, hurt, resentment, sadness, guilt and negativity that i’ve been holding onto since forever and that I’ve allowed to cosume my life. Today, I choose happiness above all

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On Australia Day (January 26th) 2007 our son Christian was stillborn. Our world fell apart. We could not believe that our perfect baby boy was not going to be able to come home from the hospital with us.

Over the following 18 months we struggled to make sense of why this could have possibly happened to us. We still don’t understand why.

On August 19th 2008 I dreamed of our son for the first time. He was playing on the beach with his friends that had also passed away. I walked up the beach to where he was but before I got to him – he ran away. I got to the point that they had been playing and it was then that I saw he had written his name in the sand.

This dream inspired me to visit the beach and write his name in the sand myself. I took my camera down to the shore at sunset and wrote his name. Since that day in the winter of 2008 I have written over 9700 children’s names in the sand.

It is a simple act that recognizes a life. It gives something beautiful to a family that may only have a few memories of their child – or even none at all.

I visit the beach around 6 nights a week. I write all of the names – take all of the photos and create all of the memorials as a free service to anyone who has been touched by the loss of a child. We rely purely on donations to keep our son’s legacy alive so if we write your child’s name in the sand and you like the photograph you can purchase your high resolution jpeg for a donation of $25 AUS. This one donation of $25 covers you for however many of your childrens names we have written for you. The jpeg photo will be emailed to you and you are able to print and enlarge the image as many times as you please.

Having Christian’s sunset photograph displayed in our home has brought us much peace. We have it framed next to the photographs of our beautiful girls. It reminds anybody that comes into our home that we did have a son and that he is just as loved as our girls are.

http://theseashoreofremembrance.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/purchase-seashore-dedication.html

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International Star Registry

The international Star Registry began in 1979 when our founder wanted to name a star for his daughter. He was told that by policy astronomers do not name starts,  but further research showed that there was nothing to prevent him starting a star naming service for himself.

Astronomers do not use the names we designate to stars but always refer to them by position or catalogue number. Naming a star is therefore not a scientific venture but a symbolic gesture of regard, friendship or love.

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Star Listings

Star Listings International is an established and respected company based in the Midlands, UK. We offer a competitively priced star naming service which allows you to name a star in a chosen star constellation of your choice, as a unique, symbolic, novelty gift for someone special to you.

We pride ourselves on offering a fast, professional service and delivering a high-quality product that brings happiness to many people.

We are committed to our customer’s satisfaction, and to ensuring that any queries are dealt with in an efficient and professional manner.

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Star Name Registry

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Amore – Handmade Memory Bears

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I have come across this lovely website, run by a lady who’s baby, Alexandra Grace was stillborn. She wanted a keepsake box for her daughter, but could not find anything suitable, so decided to make her own. The website started as they began to create keepsake boxes for other bereaved parents but the collection soon grew and they now offer all sorts of beautiful memorial gifts for those who have lost a baby.

Take time to browse their website where you will find memorial jewellery, graveside candles/ornaments,  Angel balloons and much more.

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Bench Memorials

Chris Nangle Furniture specialise in the design and manufacture of the finest memorial benches and commemorative seating.

The perfect tribute – a hand-crafted memorial bench…

We offer a range of both traditional and contemporary style, durable oak benches all beautifully inscribed with your personalised message. Whatever the style, you can be assured of owning a timeless memorial to a loved one that will age gracefully and provide a lasting and loving tribute for many years to come.

All of our memorial benches are handmade to order by craftsmen in our Shropshire workshop. The benches are constructed using the traditional method of pegged mortise and tenon joints throughout. As all of our memorial seating is handmade to order, we are always happy to alter the sizes to suit our clients needs. Alternately we welcome the opportunity to produce one-off commissions in any style.

Our memorial benches combine robust vandal proof construction methods with simple well-proportioned lines that let the beauty of the timber shine through. Our products are designed to complement and enhance any rural or urban environment, be it a woodland or riverside setting a coastal path or an inner city park, your bench will sit gracefully, age beautifully and last a lifetime as memorial benches should.

All of our commemorative benches are made from premium quality English green oak sourced from local sustainable woodlands. This incredibly beautiful wood is sawn by our local mill, ensuring environmentally friendly benches with minimal carbon footprint.

Fergus Wessel is a letter cutter who specialises in hand carved headstones and fine memorials for children. Having five children himself – he has been touched by the families who have approached him over the years – and he believes that every family deserves a compassionate & personal approach when commissioning a headstone for a child.

Fergus encourages families to be involved in the design of the memorial whenever possible – and will draft and re-draft a design until it perfectly captures the spirit of the child and the sentiments the parents want to convey. This takes time and patience and must not be hurried.

Based in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds – just over an hour from London – Fergus encourages visitors to his workshop and has work all over the UK including St Pauls Cathedral.

Fergus Wessel’s Stone Workshop

Spring Cottage

Green Lane

Milton Under Wychwood

OX7 6JY

Tel: 07779 294 673

A video interview with Fergus

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MuchLoved

MuchLoved is run by the MuchLoved Charitable Trust,  a UK Registered Charity working for bereaved people worldwide. Established by Jonathan Davies after the death of his brother and mother, MuchLoved now hosts memorial websites on behalf of over 12, 000 families. This is both an immense privilege and responsibility and we hope that you will consider creating tributes to your loved ones with us, or joining our growing and supportive community. All tributes are free of charge.

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Angels Meadow

Cremation jewellery is exploding in popularity. The reason is both simple and profound: there is no better way to keep the inspirational memory of a loved one close. Whether you wear it next to your heart or keep it in one of our elegant glass domes. A cremation pendant is a gentile and poignant reminder that there are bonds that cannot be broken, even in death. At Angels Meadow we aim to provide you with as many designs as possible in the hope that you will fall upon something fitting and personal to your loved one.

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Eternity Crystal

The jewellery on this site is beautiful, and not only will they produce jewellery using ashes, but they can use a lock of hair too. Please take time to have a look.

At Eternity Crystal we understand just how much you treasure the memory of your loved ones and scattering of their ashes is such a final farewell. Using a patented process of fusing a small amount of the ash into crystal glass,  we have developed a unique range of memorial products by which to remember them.

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La Belle Dame

We have very recently added a very special line of Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Loss Memorial Jewellery for those who have experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy or infancy. So often when a mother loses her pregnancy to miscarriage or stillbirth there is no place to go to feel connected to their baby – no place to grieve her loss. We created our Miscarriage and Infant Loss jewellery to help mothers feel connected to their little ones,  to have a tangible something to touch and give them strength when they need it most. When the rest of the world goes on like nothing has ever happened, sometimes the grieving mother needs that extra something special to hold onto that carries her baby’s memory with her, where ever she goes. And, from a mother who understands, you can be assured that we offer compassionate customer care. Ships to the UK.

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Together Always

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Ashes into Glass

Keep your love one close to you always. Glassblowers Bill Rhodes and James Watts create memorial jewellery and paperweights by mixing your loved one’s cremation ashes with molten crystal glass and coloured crystals. Your Ashes into Glass memorial will be just as precious as the memory of your loved one.

In their website, we aim to let you know about our unique service and products. This page is an overview of the website and gives you a summary of each section. Ashes into Glass is a world wide service and available to families in all countries.

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Bath Aqua Glass

We can creatively encapsulate your loved ones ashes into glass for you to cherish. We can create a truly bespoke one off memorial piece to honour your loved one’s life by having a small amount of their cremation ashes incorporated into a piece of handblown glass which you can treasure forever. We offer this service with respect, love and understanding.

In addition to our standard range of memorial glass items we do also work on a commission basis with customers to produce bespoke designs incorporating ashes into glass.

All pieces can be engraved using our in-house engraving service.

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Eternity Crystal

At Eternity Crystal we understand just how much you treasure the memory of your loved ones and scattering of their ashes is such a final farewell. Using a patented process of fusing a small amount of the ash into crystal glass, we have developed a unique range of memorial products by which to remember them.

The original UK pioneers of ashes in glass memorials as featured on This Morning and Richard and Judy in 2006.

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Forever Close Memorials

We carry a wide range of products to suit a variety of all budgets and all tastes. Please browse the website to see the full range of cremation memorials or ask us for more information on any of the memorial keepsakes or products and options available.

All of the forever close memorials in both the glass and the silver memorial keepsakes and memorial Jewellery comes with a certificate of authenticity.

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I must add that the containers are very small, and would be suitable for a babies ashes or a very small amount of ashes. Alternatively, it could be possible to have the bear adapted to hold all of the ashes in a sealed bag. I would recommend discussing this with your funeral directors who should be able to guide you further and who will also be able to put the ashes in the bear on your behalf.

Personally we have all of our son’s ashes in a teddy bear,  we find it such a comfort. We purchased a pyjama case of all things (Me to You – Tatty Teddy). It is a little bit bigger and the container with his ashes fits perfectly in the back. The only alteration was to give the teddy some extra stuffing so you can not feel the container inside. Its another option to consider.

UK Websites

Lay To Rest

Our Memory Bear comes with a zipped pocket in his back (and special container) for your childs ashes, precious keepsakes or photographs. He stands at a full 17 inches tall and was especially made for cuddling. The Memory Bear is designed to hold the full ashes of an infant upto 6 months of age or a token amount of ashes of a child older than 6 months.

We understand you may not personally wish to place your child’s ashes into the Memory Bear, we are able to provide this service for you. Our fully trained and qualified Funeral Director who is a member of the National Association Of Funeral Directors and the British Institute Of Funeral Directors will do this on your behalf. If you require this service please do not order on-line but telephone us on 0844 567 9909 to place your order and discuss your requirements fully.

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U.S Websites

Into the Light Urns

The loss of a child is tragic, and loss of a parent, grandparent or sibling can be traumatic for a young child. At In the Light Urns, our Teddy Bear Keepsake Cremation Urns help comfort the ones left behind, whether a parent or child. Death is an inevitable part of life, but knowing that does not make it easier when the time comes. Sadness, despair and inexplicable grief are normal – and it takes time to help heal the wounds, though they will never disappear.

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Angels Memorials are based in Corby,  Northants in the middle of England, so are ideally situated to travel all over mainland England and Wales. As well as decorative items for memorials, such as statuettes, stone and resin ornaments and solar Angels.   Angels Memorials can provide and install headstones, kerb memorials, vases and cremation memorials anywhere in mainland England and Wales. Using quality marble, granite, nabresina, portland, slate and many other natural stone materials. Visit website

Gifts for Angles

Gifts for Angels was set up by mother of four, Michelle Rice after the loss of her eldest daughter, Lola. She could never find anything pretty and uplifting to buy for Lola to place at her graveside or,  in a special place in her garden especially on such occasions like her Birthdays or Christmas. Michelle wanted something that was bright, beautiful and fun just as Lola was, so she created ‘Gifts for Angels’,  an online shop that sells handmade colourful grave accessories and memorial pieces that she has designed. Other products include a very good selection of sympathy cards, seed cards and memory boxes. The perfect gift to give when you don’t know what to say… Visit Website

Keepsake Kreations

Selection of unique sympathy cards, memorial gifts, sympathy gifts, memorial jewellery, memorial candles and remembrance gifts, grave products, solar grave lights, memorial lights, grave candle lanterns, candle ornaments for graves. Unique and sentimental grief and loss memorials for loved ones, which have proven to be a comforting gift of remembrance. Visit website

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