I.

To the woman who has lost her mother:

Sit with me. Tell me about her. How she laughed. What did it sound like? I wish I could hear it, too. 

Tell me about her face. What parts do you miss most? What parts do you love?

Let’s remember together. 

* * *

II.

To the woman who has lost her child:

I’m here with you. You say your heart--that day and every day since--has shattered into a million pieces and disappeared into the sky. 

I see those tiny pieces in you, shaped into grief and love and all the things your daughter loved, too.  

Tell me about her face. What parts do you miss most? What parts do you love?

Let’s remember together.

* * *

III.

To the woman who wants a child, so very much:

This is grief. You may feel this grief intensely right now. Especially when you see mothers and children on Sunday afternoon. Or any Sunday afternoon.

It’s a grief that’s hard to describe. 

The categories include: what could have been. miscarriage. stillbirth. fertility treatments. trying. loneliness. 

Tell me about her face. What parts do you see most clearly? What parts do you love?

Let’s imagine together.

With you,

Jenny