HAND of the Bay Area

HAND Fathers-

Please join us virtually on Saturday, June 17th from 1-3 PM for an event to honor the babies we’ve lost and ourselves as fathers through an afternoon of creative expression. We will be sharing stories, connecting with others, writing in journals, and practicing mindfulness.

The event will be facilitated by bereaved fathers and HAND volunteers, Devin Bradley and Eric Rodenbeck, and HAND’s President, Kai Martin, will be in attendance.

To register, please complete the RSVP form. The event will be capped after the first 15 registrants sign up so that all workshop attendees have an opportunity to share. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be sent to registrants the week before the event.

For more information, email the facilitators at [email protected].

Thank you,

Devin Bradley
Eric Rodenbeck
Kai Martin

HAND Event RSVP Form Virtual Retreat for HAND Fathers - Saturday, June 17th, 1-3pm

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. You’re invited to Star Legacy’s Wave of Light at Baker Beach in San Francisco to celebrate the the lives of the little ones we’ve lost too soon. Please reach out to Mike Otlin with any questions: [email protected]

Information on a 6-week support group for pregnancy loss led by Macy Schoenthaler, MFT.

Dear HAND families and friends,

As we approach October, National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we’d like to warmly invite you to our virtual Annual Service of Remembrance on Sunday, October 2nd from 10-11:30am. All parents, families and friends are welcome to join and help honor our babies. This year’s service will be held virtually, but in a format similar to our in-person services, with live music, poems and readings read aloud by parents, and a slideshow of photos and drawings.

Submissions of poems and letters (400 words or less) are welcome, and parents are invited to read their own submissions during the program. Click on the link below to RSVP and submit babies' names, images and readings. Submissions of images and readings MUST be received by September 4th to be included in the program. We will continue to accept babies' names through September 18th.
https://bit.ly/3vyMFnO

A Zoom link for the Service of Remembrance will be sent out the day before the event to all “Yes” and “Maybe” RSVPs. You are welcome to forward this invitation to family members who might like to attend. Please ask them to RSVP, so we have their email address.

We look forward to gathering together virtually to celebrate and honor our babies.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Warmly,
The HAND Board of Directors

There is a New York Times article that has been shared in HAND meetings: The Japanese Art of Grieving a Miscarriage

https://nyti.ms/3xDhk3B

One of our HAND participants, Lisa, followed up with finding a Buddhist Priest who is knowledgeable and willing to perform the Mizuko kuyō ceremony “in-person” and “outdoors” at a local park in SF.

https://bit.ly/3zNQOHz

For those of you who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth, you may or may not know about the Buddhist ritual, which is practiced in Japan, China, and Thailand. Women honor their baby spirits with unconditional love and compassion through a Jizo figurine who often wears a red bib. Jizo is the patron saint for children in Japan, dedicated to protecting and shepherding those precious souls who have died ahead of us. Many women find meaning in the ritual of creating a Jizo figurine for their departed spirit babies.

In the spirit of inclusion and healing, Lisa wishes to share in a safe place to process grief through the Jizo ceremony with up to 9 other HAND women. For those who have experienced loss of soul babies that were never born – the ceremony will be held at one of the picnic areas of San Francisco’s McLaren Park.

The Buddhist Reverend has asked Lisa to limit the group size to 10 women who have experienced the physical loss of the baby ONLY in order to create a safe space to share as well as time needed to complete our arts & crafts together. She has asked that we not include partners, husbands, or friends as part of the RSVP in respecting the Buddhist traditions for the Jizo ritual.

WHEN: Next Saturday June 25, 2022 at 11am - 11:45am

WHERE: Picnic Area in San Francisco Park TBD

RSVP: Email to [email protected] no later than NOON Friday June 24, 2022. Once we’ve confirmed that you are part of HAND, Lisa can give you more specifics on where to meet.

Photo credit: Stacie Bingham

Thinking of all of the bereaved mothers in our HAND community on Mother’s Day. We hold you in the light and honor you today.

Image Balance After Baby

Upcoming Event:
Creative Honoring Workshop on Mother’s Day Weekend

Please join us on Saturday, May 7th from 1-2:30 PM for an online event to honor the babies we’ve lost and ourselves as mothers. We will be sharing stories, connecting with others, writing in journals and practicing mindfulness from the comfort of our own homes.

Who can attend:
Bereaved mothers (including mothers currently pregnant with subsequent pregnancies).

RSVP to [email protected]. The event will be capped after the first 15 registrants sign up so that all Workshop attendees have an opportunity to share. An online meeting link, ID and password will be sent to registrants.

For more information:
Email Abbie Endres at [email protected]

Facilitators:
Abbie Endres, bereaved mother, LMFT and HAND volunteer
Erica Hernandez, bereaved mother and HAND Board Member

HAND families and friends-

HAND achieved a remarkable milestone in 2021 - 40 years of supporting bereaved families in the Bay Area. Our organization has withstood the test of time due to your support of our work. With just a few weeks left in 2021, we ask that you consider making a tax-deductible donation before the end of the year. Your donation supports our critical work helping bereaved parents face an unfathomable loss and every little bit helps. This holiday season, please consider giving to HAND in memory of your child, grandchild, niece, nephew…for all of the babies gone too soon, who live in our hearts and minds.

Please donate online here:
www.handsupport.org

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. To honor all of our babies that have died, we invite you to participate in the global Wave of Light tonight by lighting a candle at 7pm (your time) in their memory.



Photo credit:

"I used to believe grief was innately isolating. Now I understand it is an opening, if only we are willing to see others in their distress and allow them to see us in ours. Eventually, the process of spreading my news would end. A day would come, sooner than I imagined, when I’d only have to discuss the miscarriage with people who wanted – or needed – to hear about it. I would light my own lantern, a beacon offered to other suffering women."

How My Son's Tantrum Helped Me Grieve My Pregnancy Loss Two months after the baby I was expecting died in utero, I was late to pick up my kindergartener. We lived in Brooklyn, but Henry’s school was in Manhattan, and our evenings were often rushed. I took the school’s front steps two at a time, my whole body an exhausted ache. I longed to tuck […]

As we approach October, National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we’d like to warmly invite you to our virtual Annual Service of Remembrance on Sunday, October 3rd from 10-11:30am. All parents, families and friends are welcome to join and help honor our babies. This year’s service will be held virtually, but in a format similar to our in-person services, with live music, poems and readings read aloud by parents, and a slideshow of photos and drawings.

Submissions of poems, letters or stories (400 words or less) are welcome, and parents are invited to read their own submissions during the program. Submissions of images and readings MUST be received by September 12th to be included in the program. We will continue to accept babies' names through September 19th.

Please RSVP and submit babies' names, images and readings here:
https://bit.ly/3E2duU3

We look forward to gathering together virtually to celebrate and honor our babies.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Wishing a peaceful Mother’s Day to all of the mothers in the HAND of the Bay Area community.

Photo credit:

Thinking of all the bereaved mothers on International Bereaved Mother’s Day. We see you and we honor you.

HAND of the Bay Area offers support and resources to bereaved parents. For more information visit:
https://handsupport.org/resources/parents

Photo credit: