josiah+co. Blog

This season, this holiday, is so difficult for so many reasons. Many of us are grieving. We’ve lost teeny tiny babies and full grown children. We’ve lost parents and friends and people we’ve held dear. We’ve lost jobs and relationships. We’ve lost our support systems and life as we knew it prior to this damn pandemic. This holiday season will look drastically different from seasons in the past, and when we add grief on top of that it seems almost unbearable. As I’ve been reflecting on what this season looks like this year and how to navigate grief through it...

The title isn’t what you think. I didn’t have an abortion. And even if I did, I know there would be a multitude of reasons and circumstances leading up to that decision. It’s not all black and white; dualistic decision making. What this is about is how COVID-19 gave me no choice but to manage my miscarriage in a safe space alongside those choosing to end their pregnancies. You see, I know my body. I know my body clings to my lifeless babes and refuses to let go. I know after hours and hours of induction I’m subjected to D&Cs...

  We all need people in our corner. People who understand our journey, or at least aspects of it. There is something healing about being seen and heard; having our stories validated. Being able to speak with no filters, and share all our raw thoughts and emotions with no judgement. When I experienced our first loss I didn’t know anyone else around me who had experienced a similar journey; until I started talking about it. As I shared my story, other people began sharing their stories with me and I was able to build a community around myself with people...

  We are often way too hard on ourselves when we are grieving. We are our own worst critics. We wonder why we are feeling the way we are, or tell ourselves to stop being sad and just be happy. We get mad at ourselves when we feel angry, or feel guilty when we let joy in. We wonder why we are feeling this way and why we aren’t “better” yet.  Grief doesn’t just go away. We will heal and the sting will lessen with time, but the grief will still be there. It becomes integrated into our lives. Be...

Your body is not broken; you are not to blame. We often place blame on ourselves, or our bodies (especially in regards to pregnancy + infant loss). We wonder what we did wrong or what we could have done to prevent the loss. We feel as though our bodies have failed us, or that we have failed others. We can find countless ways to blame ourselves. Often we blame ourselves for not taking the right vitamins, or drinking that extra cup of coffee. We think of all the things we should have said or done to prevent our loss. We...