Monica's Story

The Sharing Place has been a wonderful experience for our family. The staff and volunteers provide a safe haven for those who are hurting. It has been a place where the children (as well as us parents) feel safe to talk about the loss of our baby and all the emotions that go with it. It’s been two years since Ariana’s death and we continue to deal with her absence every day.

As a parent, the pain has grown duller but it is still very present. Although we are able to feel true moments of joy, they are often tinged with sadness. However, as an adult I feel I’m better able to understand and express these often confusing and difficult emotions. My children, on the other hand, have experienced grief quite differently.

Maya, now eight years old, still misses her baby sister terribly. She and Ariana had a very close connection between themselves, one that the rest of the family didn’t quite understand. The Sharing Place has helped her deal with nightmares and anxiety over the many things in life that can’t be controlled. It has given her an outlet for her grief and her many questions. At school she doesn’t feel she can talk about Ariana with anyone for fear of being singled out or made fun of.

At The Sharing Place Maya can be with other kids who know what it feels like to lose someone they love.

Brodie is now four years old. Even though he was only two and a half when Ariana died, he understood more than we could’ve expected. A few days after the funeral while holding a picture of her he said, “I love you Ariana. Ariana gone.” I held him while we both cried. He sobbed, “That hurts to me heart. Broken. I miss Ariana. I sad Ariana.” As Brodie has gotten older he continues to process her death on deeper levels. This last spring he developed an intense fear of death. He was afraid if he got hurt he would die too. All of his play was centered around the death of various toys.

With our efforts at home and his time at The Sharing Place, Brodie has learned what death really means and how to better deal with it in his own life. He also knows that although death means that Ariana isn’t coming back, we can still love, cherish, and keep her with us always in our hearts.

~ Monica