Aimee Jones Faith-Based Encouragement

He Holds On Still

When I was in high school I worked at a dry cleaners. I was one of the few kids with a class schedule loaded with AP courses while also working more than 20 hours a week. It wasn’t as hard as it sounds though, because I worked at a slow pick-up/drop-off location by myself. I had hours a day in a quiet room alone to work on my homework. In fact I had more than enough time for my homework. I thank God that smart phones weren’t a thing yet, because I filled the time with reading, listening to indie CDs, and just sitting and thinking. All those AP classes really got me thinking. I thought of history and literature and physics and problem solving and how it all was the limited ways we perceive what’s going on in this mysterious universe we find ourselves in. My teachers encouraged me to think in new ways and ask a lot of questions. As my 17 year old mind filled with so many questions and had no Google access, I turned to creator and keeper of all the answers – God. I prayed all my ideas and questions and doubts. I listened intently. It was fruitful; God answered in many different beautiful ways – and oftentimes with more questions. I felt in awe of God, His creation, and all the mystery. I felt His unconditional love for me and my friends. I loved the searching, and I promised to never stop. I remember one prayer so vividly – I prayed that no matter where my doubts and questions took me, no matter what ideas I contemplated, that He would hold my faith and lead me closer to truth. I was His, and I believed that as I held on to everything loosely, He would hold onto me firmly. 

And He did. He held on as I graduated high school and went on to college. He held on as I got too busy to sit and think. He held on while I stopped journalling and stopped questioning. He held on while I got more interested in achieving than searching. He held on while I entered the workforce. He held on while I was too tired to stand in awe. He held on while I thought of my faith as a checklist and my prayers became a wishlist. He held on while I ignored every prompting of something more. He held on while my view of Him went from busting big past the drawn-in lines of childhood to melting down between the constructs of individualism and performance of early adulthood. He held on as our time together shrunk in whatever was left between endless work meetings and binge watching TV. 

That’s about where we were when I got pregnant with Ginny. Although planned, the pregnancy itself shook me to my core, and anxiety forced me to quit my job and rearrange my entire life. So when Ginny died in my womb at 35 weeks, I truly wondered whether my faith would be strong enough to endure. I knew this was the kind of thing that could break people and could make them turn from everything they once believed. But God very quickly reminded me of my prayer from over a decade earlier. He would hold my faith. While I was only hanging on loosely, he would hold onto me firmly. As I called out to Him, he immediately covered me with comfort and strength and so so so much love. It was painful and terrible and incredibly difficult, but I was not alone. He walked with me through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). He is the perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2). 

In the months following Ginny’s death, I found myself with a lot of empty time. I didn’t have a job so I spent hours a day reading, listening to indie albums, and just sitting and thinking…again. All my grief really got me thinking and questioning and doubting. And even though I did do my fair share of Googling this time, I once again asked the creator and keeper of all answers – God. And again it was fruitful. I got many answers and many more questions. The loss made me lose so many faith assumptions I carried. My beliefs shifted, but yet I still stood in awe and I felt his unconditional love. 

With two living children, I do not have the same empty time as I did almost 7 years ago. But God has opened my eyes to His presence in the playtimes and sleepless nights of middle age motherhood. Turns out, it’s not as hard to find Jesus in loving servitude as it is in selfish ambition (not too surprising I guess). My beliefs are still shifting. The awe-striking questions and doubts and answers keep on coming, but instead of praying in a quiet room by myself, I’m praying while gathering snacks in a LOUD kitchen or if I’m lucky, to the buzz of the monitor during nap time. And while I don’t have control and am forced to hold to all I have and know loosely, He holds on still. 

Aimee Jones Parenting After Loss

Parenting After Loss: 5 Years

Five years of parenting after loss, 2 rainbow babies, 3 states, 4 homes – we miss Ginny more than ever! We bring our love for her with us on every new adventure our family undertakes. Our love only grows. Our realization of the true gravity of the loss expands when we see Chet and Addie take on each new stage of childhood. We see what she’s missing, what they are missing, what we are missing from her not being here. She’s part of our family, so 5 years of parenting other children won’t make us forget. Five years of parenting other children won’t make us ok with death. 

For anyone who feels like they should be done grieving their miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss, please know that it is ok to never stop grieving your child. They should’ve been with you the rest of your life, but they are gone. That is worthy of your mourning, no matter how many years and how many other children you have. Just because you grieve doesn’t mean you don’t have hope. Just because you grieve doesn’t mean you aren’t healing. It is right to be brokenhearted over death – even if you know it is temporary. 

These years later, I will say the grief has changed. The pain isn’t as sharp. The sorrow is not all encompassing. I think of Ginny throughout the day with love, but her death does not consume the majority of my thoughts as it once did. The waves of grief come less often and less intense. Noticing that happening made me sad at first, but now I am ok with it. I realize it doesn’t make me love her any less. I’ve grown strong enough to bear the reality of her absence most of the time. 

Now that we are done having children, I feel like my grief has evolved even more. Anticipating and experiencing pregnancy after loss kept my heart in a state of vulnerability that I am now free from. I will admit, it feels good that that phase is complete. I still have fear of losing my kids or other loved ones. I have to fight intrusive thoughts daily, but it is not as severe as it was with a baby in my womb. 

I worry this distances me from the beloved baby loss community I’ve been a part of since Ginny died. Can I relate to women going through loss in a meaningful way? Are my memories too distant to be of any support or encouragement? Am I more likely to say something hurtful now that I’m not going through it alongside her? I pray that God can still use me through my loss. I want to follow His will for my life whether that be in the baby loss community or elsewhere. I do know that the lessons of my suffering and hope impacts literally everything I do. It has changed who I am so whatever I do, it will be because of Ginny and the work God did in me through her life and death. I do hope my life parenting two children after loss can give others’ hope for the future after their losses. 

Aimee Jones Milestones & Anniversaries

Remembering the Days Right Before

Ginny’s 6th birthday is in a couple days. I’m missing her so much. As all moms do around their kids’ birthdays, I’m thinking back to days leading up to her birth. Although, for me those memories feel tender. I’ve racked my brain over them again and again and again through the years looking for warning signs that should’ve alerted me of her upcoming death. But today I want to look back with the a new filter. I’m not going to focus on the “should’ves”; I’m going to try to remember the ways we were preparing for Ginny and loving each other. 

10 Days – Feb 16 – Ten days before Addie’s birth, we completed her veggie-garden-themed nursery. My mom visited and helped me put the finishing touches. Behind her white crib was a row of sunflowers and a birdhouse sign with her name. A mobile hung above the crib with spinning felted vegetables. Below the crib was a bright green rug that looked like grass. There was handmade veggie artwork and a carrot garland hanging on the wall. Above her yellow changing pad were three little hooks with the letters V, H, and J for Virginia Hope Jones. I hung little ornaments in the shapes of corn, lettuce, and carrots. Above her bookshelf was a sign that read “Good Things Grow Here”. Flowers, decorative gardening tools, “You Grow Girl” pots, and framed pictures of cousins were all around. Friends contributed sweet homemade art, quilts, and blankets. Her closet was fully stocked with the cutest baby girl clothes, organized by size. I couldn’t wait to bring her home to her room. 

9 Days – Feb 17 – The next day, Daniel and I grabbed a pillow and yoga mat and headed to our first childbirth class. We spent the whole day learning about pain management techniques and what to expect from the different phases of labor. 

8 Days – Feb 18 – We put together Ginny’s stroller. I got the carseat ready and practiced buckling it with a stuffed bunny. We just needed to install it in the car. 

7 Days – Feb 19 – I started packing my hospital bag. I made three lists: one for me, one for Daniel, and one for Ginny. 

6 Days – Feb 20 – I went to Buy Buy Baby by myself to look for a diaper bag. I didn’t find one I wanted, so I later ordered one online. It would arrive after Ginny’s death. I wrote about the saga to return it in the post From Ginny To Chet. Spoiler: The return was unsuccessful, and both Chet and Addie ended up using that diaper bag. Later that night Daniel and I assembled the gliding rocker that his parents bought for Addie’s nursery. 

5 Days – Feb 21 – I had my 34 week prenatal appointment. My belly was measuring small so the midwife wheeled in an in-office ultrasound machine. She could tell that Ginny was head down and there was plenty of fluid, but she scheduled an official growth scan for Monday, Feb 25 to get a closer look. That night we had our church small group over. We asked them to pray that Ginny would grow well and that we’d have peace waiting for the ultrasound appointment. Our sweet friends gave us baby gifts. One couple who recently had a baby generously gave us all the things they found most useful. Another couple gave us an adorable onesie that says “little sprout” with an illustration of a green little sprout coming up. They also gave us a beautiful handmade crocheted blanket in shades of green. Both the onesie and the blanket are in Ginny’s keepsake box. 

4 Days – Feb 22 – I ate a deliberately large breakfast in hopes it’ll somehow help Addie grow. I remember watching the movie Roman Holiday while counting and rolling all the change we had accumulated from the past few years. Daniel and I had plans to go on a “change date” like we used to in college when we didn’t have much money. 

3 Days – Feb 23 – Daniel and I went on our “change date”. We went to the bank to cash in the coins and then got lunch, went to the art museum, and had a nice dinner. I remember it was a rainy but really fun day together. 

2 Days – Feb 24 – We went to part 2 of the childbirth class. I remember there was a new instructor because the original one couldn’t be there for some reason. This new instructor introduced herself. She was a regular doula and also a bereavement doula for couples who lose their babies. I had never heard of anything like that before, and I remember thinking that was so sad. We learned a lot about induction and epidurals and things I would need to know sooner than expected. 

1 Day – Feb 25 – The growth ultrasound was scheduled for 1pm. I had nothing planned for the morning, so I slept in and got ready slowly. I remember straightening my hair which I rarely ever did. I remember the sweater I wore. I remember talking to my mom on the way to the hospital. I took a picture of where I parked in the parking garage so I wouldn’t forget. I met Daniel in the lobby. We waited in the waiting room, and then our lives changed forever. You can read about all what happened next in Our Story and Labor and Delivery Story. 

As you can see from how we spent those last days before Ginny’s birth, we were very busy preparing for her. I was doing all I could to make sure she had everything she needed once she arrived; meanwhile, I had no idea that she didn’t have everything she needed to get to that point. She died sometime between Feb 21 and Feb 25, but I’m pretty sure I felt her move the morning of Feb 25. I think we were just barely too late to save her. There are a million things we could’ve done differently on those days. But if the outcome was going to be the same, I’m glad we spent that time parenting her by preparing and spending sweet time together.