Dear Angel Babies

Let me begin by saying I never had the honor of carrying you or experienced the pain of losing you, but you did come to me through loved ones. When you made your first appearance, we were filled with hope and joy for all you would bring to our lives. But then something happened and we learned your time with us would be short, and we probably would not get to see or experience those hopes and dreams we had for you.

Our hearts were broken.

We experienced hurt like we never imagined we could hurt.

You caused us to question our faith.

You changed our lives forever.

Through the pain and sorrow of your physical loss, you somehow managed to give us something we never wanted, but you knew we needed.

You gave us joy. Not because you were taken from us, but joy because we knew you forever became our Angel Baby. Soon you began to share visions of yourself, upstairs with our Heavenly Father and you were smiling. You were happy and now when we think of you giggling in the clouds, we find joy.

You restored and deepened our faith. I’ll be honest, at first you caused us so much anger and hurt that we questioned everything we ever believed. But over time, as our hearts began to heal and we slowly began to open our hearts and minds again, we began to believe again.

You reminded us to believe in something greater than ourselves and trust that we will be okay.

And most of all, you reminded us just how precious the gift of life is. You reminded us that your appearance on the ultrasound or pee stick does not represent baby showers, Pinterest baby boards, or “the big reveal” of team pink or blue.

No, you reminded us that you are a gift to be treasured and loved. You are a gift to teach us. You are a gift to challenge us (even though I would still at times protest we did not need to be challenged quite so much), but your challenges made us grow.

We have grown more compassionate.

We have grown more open to new experiences and possibilities.

We have grown more understanding.

We have grown more forgiving.

We now understand you came into our lives to change and transform us into better, stronger, more grateful humans. Because of you, we appreciate more of the little things in life and have learned to take less for granted.

Angel Baby, even though I never carried you or had to experience the pain of losing you, you still taught me oh so much. And today I thank you.

To the mothers and families of all Angel Babies, know that you are special. You are stronger and braver than I could ever imagine. You have had to walk through pain I can’t wrap my head around. But also know you and your Angel Baby are not only gifts, but teachers.

If I am only speaking for myself, I can firmly say you have taught me so much about life. I think of you often, and you continue to serve as my constant reminder of just how precious this gift of life is. From the deepest part of me, I am humbled by your acts of bravery as you continue to carry on in life.

In conclusion, I am reminded that we are not alone. We are surrounded by these Angel Babies who are continuing to give us hope, joy, and faith to never stop believing.

Thank you, Angel Baby. You will never be forgotten, but forever in our hearts.