By no means do I understand or even begin to comprehend the pain mommas endure when they have a miscarriage of the baby they longed to have. But, I do have a little insight of miscarriage due to it happening to someone I hold close to my heart.

In October of 2016, my aunt Val became pregnant with her first child. So much excitement was brought to family and friends and most importantly to my Aunt and Uncle.

In December of 2016, my aunt endured the loss of her first child through miscarriage.

Strength. Strength was her word. Strength was who she and her husband were during this time and still to this day are. Countless days of wondering why God would take something so precious from them away reoccurred.

Val stated, "Though we look at this day with sadness, we also have an inner peace that our sweet baby girl is in heaven with her Father, perfect and untouched by the harshness of this world, and we cling to God's promise and are thankful for the strength that he has provided for us in our marriage this past year."

People would often say, “You can just get pregnant again and have another baby" but, the thing about that statement is that what momma wanted that pregnancy and they want that baby. They were never able to hold, see, or touch that baby girl that she carried for a short amount of time but they were able to feel the baby bump and look at the pictures from their appointments which to them is everything they can dream of.

Many mommas and dads blame themselves for the loss of their child but there was nothing that they could do to stop God from taking away the life that he gave. Being the baby's parent for the amount of time that you had with the baby is what that baby needed.

My aunt and uncle didn't give up on trying to have another kid. A year later in December of 2017, they were blessed to find out they would be having a baby boy. Excitement but worry filled their hearts because of the fear of the unknown but that didn't stop them from praying.

They prayed for God to fulfill his promise to them:

"I will not cause pain without something new to be born, says the Lord." — Isaiah 66:7-9

Their healthy baby boy was born in July of 2018, the overwhelming excitement and joy of a new life being brought into the world was something else.

Through all the pain and struggle of losing their first baby, they never gave up even when it seemed like all else failed.

Their baby boy, Joshua Paul, is the promise that God fulfilled in their life. The baby girl they lost at 10 weeks will always be in their hearts along with the amount of love they have for both of them.

Val and Joe share their story, not for sympathy but so others who are like them know they aren't alone and are able to share their story, as every life is a precious gift and these precious little gifts deserve a voice.

Every life, no matter how brief, changes the world.

#ShatterTheSilence #AlwaysInOurHeart