Grieve Out Loud

At random the winners of the butterflies are:

Small = Danielle
Medium = Tiffany Q.
Large = Requetta

Thanks to all who entered! Stay tuned for our next random act of niceness giveaway!

Does seeing a butterfly remind you of your baby still? Well, here’s your chance to win one of three decorative butterflies that are ready for you to customize!

Each of these three plastic butterflies have been primed and are ready for you to paint or decorate however your heart desires! Sizes are small (5 inches wide), medium (7.5 inches wide), and large (9.5 inches wide).

To enter, leave a comment and tell us how you would customize your butterfly to represent your baby (we’ll also need your name and e-mail address). You will automatically be entered for all three giveaways. We will announce the winners here, on twitter, and our facebook page on Friday, September 14th!

Winner of the small butterfly will be randomly selected on Monday, September 10. Winner of the medium butterfly will be randomly selected on Tuesday, September 11. Winner of the large butterfly will be randomly selected on Wednesday, September 12.

CliffsNotes on Grief
Good Grief! by Erica McNeal
By Julie McAnary
Photo credit: ericamcneal.com

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If you were to ask Erica McNeal why bad things happen to good people, she would likely reply with, “Why not?”

I consider myself an expert in grief. In my thirty years of life I have already buried my mother, my grandmother, my son and a few family pets to boot. Not even my own expertise prepared me for the magnitude of loss that unfolds in just the first few pages of McNeal’s Good Grief!

With no thanks to reality television or pop music, we hear the term “survivor” all the time. Erica McNeal is the true definition of a survivor. McNeal perseveres in spite of all the grief and loss she has experienced and leaves us with what I can only describe as CliffsNotes on grief.

No matter how healthy we seem, how spiritual we are, or how many times we wash our hands, bad things can and do happen to all of us. For McNeal bad things kept coming. Instead of letting these struggles define her, she turned them into a tangible resource for individuals and families dealing with cancer or illness, pregnancy and infant loss, and facing difficult trials all from a personal point-of-view.

Good Grief! recognizes that friends and family have the best intentions when it comes to consoling the bereaved, yet sometimes the wrong words fall out. McNeal shows us how to fix those wrong words in an encouraging and spiritual way.

McNeal holds your hand and gives you all the guidance you could possibly ask for. In return, she hopes you become the incredible support system your loved one desperately needs. “When you stay consistent and intentional, you create a beautiful oasis in a very dry desert for your loved one to grieve appropriately.”

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Good Grief! is now available for purchase!
As a thank you, McNeal is offering 5 bonuses for anyone who chooses to purchase the book from June 11-15.
For all the information please visit her website: ericamcneal.com

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Julie McAnary is the founder of Grieve Out Loud, a pregnancy and infant loss support network started in 2010 after her first child was stillborn at thirty-seven weeks.

It’s Giveaway time at Grieve Out Loud!

As a thanks to all who have read our TTC after Loss series, we would like to announce our TTC Care Package Giveaway.

Two lucky winners will receive a handcrafted care package including:

1 Basal Body Thermometer
15 Ovulation Test Strips
5 Pregnancy Test Strips
and a 90 Day VIP Membership to Fertility Friend
+ More Secret Goodies!

Entering is simple — just leave a comment with your name and e-mail address (one entry per person please.)
Two winners will be selected at random on December 13th, 2010.

So what are you waiting for? Start the comments today!

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The winners are:
Megan S. and Stacey A.