UPDATED December 7, 2007

NEWS: Forum CRASHED! NEW!! Replaced forum with BLOGSPOT

LINKS Poetry "How can I help?" Contact Linda

I absolutely empathize with and respect each person's loss, whether or not you are connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I extend a warm, heartfelt welcome to all visitors. Please understand, however, if you aren't familiar with Mormon beliefs, that there are doctrinal and cultural issues unique to the Mormon experience and lifestyle which are an integral part of this site. Unique to Latter-day Saint doctrine is the belief that our spirits existed before birth and lived with our Heavenly Father, waiting for our time to come to Earth. Here we receive the precious gifts of a physical body and life on Earth. At death, we believe the spirit leaves the mortal body and moves on to paradise. We accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. Without His atoning sacrifice for us in Gethsemane and on the Cross, and our faith in His power and saving grace, we would not be able to return to our Heavenly Father to live with Him forever; that is the ultimate purpose of our lives. We love our Father in Heaven, and His Divine Son, Jesus Christ. We believe in the power and gift of the Holy Ghost to guide our lives. We believe family units created on earth may be sealed for time and all eternity. The family is essential to the plan of of happiness our Heavenly Father created for his children. Fidelity within marriage and complete abstinence from sexual relations before marriage is not only doctrine, but deeply valued within the cultural construct of our church membership. Since we believe our family relationships continue beyond the grave, we often find sweet and lasting comfort in this faith when a loved one passes 'beyond the veil' of this mortal life. However, we have no clear doctrine in the Church concerning miscarriage; nothing which states whether that spirit stays in Heaven, waiting for another opportunity to join the family (through a subsequent pregnancy or adoption), or whether it is treated as a death, and the child's spirit moves on into paradise. LDS parents could find themselves confused, searching for answers, and seeking personal revelation from the Holy Spirit after a miscarriage more so than with other types of loss. We want to know where our child's spirit is--still waiting in the premortal life, or moved on to paradise? Was there a spirit waiting for that body, or was it an empty biological shell, never destined for life? We believe in seeking the Spirit for guidance, and many parents witness they have received this gift in their lives. The answers seem to be unique to each family. After I experienced two miscarriages many years ago (1994 and 1995), I found many resources at the time that were helpful. (I invite you to view the links pages for further resources, help, and support. The listed sites are not specific to a religion. The SHARE message boards in particular are a wonderful resource.) However, I was unable to find a single resource that addressed the particular issues I experienced as a faithful Latter-day Saint. I built this site to give other Mormon parents a place to share their feelings in a safe haven, and let them know they're not alone in their questions, concerns, and feelings. People who write in frequently say that this is still the only print or web resource they have found on this unique topic. All visitors are welcome. I hope you find what you're looking for; something of value and worth that helps you in your own search for answers. While stories featured on this site need to contain some type of LDS connection or insight, keep in mind that anyone may post a story on the Forum or Guestbook at any time. I maintain this site as a public service to help others. Please let me know what I can add to the site that would be helpful for you. Your input is important. Thank you for visiting, and especially for sharing your experiences with us.