Our special thread where we can be who we are. A thread to remember our children who are no longer physically here. Our 'safe haven.'

[shabbs]

United we stand.....divided we fall. My love to all of you - a place to remember our precious children and to help each other walking this 'crappy path.'

Kayleigh I would send you a hug icon but they don't have one so flowers for you today instead. ??

Cathpip I wish I could join you for Scooby Doo it sounds perfect as does the online shopping.

to all.

Thank you mojito xx

We really need to campaign for a hug emoticon for our thread.

I second that Lily

Morning girls xx

Ladies I have put forward a request for a hug emoticon on site stuff. If you want one please add your support. The thread is titled "emoticon request".

Hope you are all getting on as best you can.

Afternoon ladies - just back from seeing my Mum xxx

Hello ladies

I have NC but used to be heavenly. Mr Pop is one of the nicknames I used to call DS2.

I'm sorry I haven't been on here for a while, didn't have any words... and not sure if I have them now.

Kayleigh six months is the blink of an eye and also so long to live with the pain of not having Ben. Time is so contradictory now. How are you feeling now?

Cathpip how are you feeling now that you have moved? Have you had the chance to put Pippa's things in the blanket box? It is nice to have her things close by.

Mouseface hello - I read your wonderfully supportive posts to Cath on her thread - I didn't realise you had experienced terrible losses of your own. Thanks for sharing about Charlie, Harry and George.

Lily I am sad to hear about your mum and wish you all strength during her treatment. Are you still in France at the moment?

Mias nice to 'see' you. I always keep up with your thread about Mia, it is so moving. Sounds like MiaFest was a great success and I hope to make it next year.

Shabbs sounds very stressful - can totally get the feeling of not being able to 'do it' anymore - you are holding it together for so many people. Local govt workers can be such jobsworths.

Mojito I think you are in the Southern hemisphere but I have found our changing season hard this year - the drawing in of the days is heralding the time of year DS2 died. The greyness matches my mood at least.

I read something recently that said that bereaved parents suffer from PTSD or 'complicated grief' - I will locate the quote as it rang a lot of bells with me.

Since I last posted, our family has welcomed DD born last month. Very happy she is here but I miss DS2 more than ever and I still cannot believe he has gone and I won't see him again. How do we bear that knowledge? I think I keep denying it to myself.

MrPop, it is so good to see you again. Welcome to your beautiful DD I'm sure she will bring you much love. I know what you mean about denying the knowledge that your loved one has gone. I think I do that too. I know she is gone but bring my memories of her back which keeps her alive to me but is also heartbreaking at the same time.

Yes I am in the southern hemisphere so summer is on the way.

I did suffer PTSD at the loss of my DD and so did my DC's. I am sure others in our situation do to.

MrPop i'm feeling ok now thank you, although i did have a wobble at the grave yesterday, but i expected that. I'm just upset now that only my best friend acknowledged the 6 month mark- none of my family/other friends mentioned it . I'd like to welcome your DD also xx

Morning girls xx

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/2210578-Emoticon-request

This is the thread where you can add your voices to the hug-emoticon request!

Morning all.

Morning girls - glad to say the weather is much calmer up 'Norff' this morning. Was very scary stuff last night - Tom was almost 2 hours late coming home from college - no buses at all - they were all stuck in various parts of Manchester. He thought about walking and then had the sense to stay at the bus station.

A normal day here, but it isn't too. Three years ago today, or tonight, our world imploded. Feeling so sad now, crying and missing Mia, but I also have to acknowledge that those first terrible days are well gone, and that initial searing grief is more of an enduring pain, part of me. But I do try to block the images of that black night. I have to.

Sending my love and thoughts to you and all your family Mias. I will light a candle to honour your precious girl xxx

Thinking of you Mias

Thinking of you tonight mias.

Thinking of you Mias and with you in spirit.

A hideous memory day Mia's. I'm honouring the memory of your darling girl with candles and sending you light and loving thoughts and strength with an enormous drink. Sending you lots of love XXX

Thinking of you Mia's xx

Hiya girls xxx

Morning everybody. It's a gorgeous bright autumnal day here in Brittany and I'm going to wrap up and go to an artisan market at an old ruined abbey and sit and drink coffee with my friend and watch the world go past. I feel calm today. Hope it lasts. I've been making the most of the gorgeous weather and getting jobs done in the garden.

I've worked out that I actually feel calmer when I'm doing something creative - sewing, cooking, painting, gardening or even playing my piano. Never lasts for very long and is always underpinned with guilt that I'm doing something nice. Does anybody else feel like that?

Thank you all for your messages of love and support. Thursday was harder than Friday, because that is the date in my mind when we still could have changed the course of that evening, the decisions, the doctors, the hospital. By Friday, it was all too late.

I have realised I have been walking around with an enormous anger inside for some time - and I only recognise it now because suddenly it is not there. I don't think it was because of Mia, but I am thinking that this sudden change of feeling is a gift from her…

We went to Mia's Wood today with our friends and family to Put the Wood to Bed. Bulbs were planted, posts straightened, the edges were lopped, and hay put around the bottoms of the new trees to snuggle them in for winter. We took down the WoollyHug flowers, and I will store them safely to burst anew with their colour in the spring. And it was wonderful to see the children running around together, a little posse of colour and noise which frequently demanded attention, slowing down the job at hand. But as one friend pointed out, it is exactly how we want Mia's Wood to be.

Morning girls xx

Sounds perfect Mias xx