October 15 2016, was National Perinatal & Infant Loss Day, in honor of which the Baby Resource Center and Remembering You Remembering Us collaborated on a very special event giving families an opportunity to raise public awareness and to commemorate their babies that died too soon.
Following "BabySteps" healing activities and walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, Remembering You Remembering Us facilitators conducted a twilight candle lighting event for about 75 people, at McLaughlin Park. The participants, which included bereaved siblings as well as their parents and grandparents, joined in a moving observance led by Shawnee Benton and Dawn Bruce. The ceremony included call-and-response poetry and readings, and requests for families to speak about their loss.
Next, while announcing the name of their deceased baby, everyone, in turn, placed a lit candle in a large circle as music played softly in the background. Tears flowed, as did expressions of gratitude by the participants afterward for the opportunity to honor the loss of their beloved babies.
The candle lighting ceremony was a beautiful commemoration for this bereaved community and a powerful example of the strength we can offer each other. For further information on local peer support for perinatal and infant loss, go to www.rememberingyourememberingus.org
