Sunflowers & Red Feathers

  Getting Personal: A Look Into Our Stories  There are many similarities in our grief stories and the ways our children died. That’s one of the reasons that we, Steffanie and Kristina have bonded. We now have the same fear, the same anxiety. Water. Drowning. And, especially seeing children near swiftly moving water. It’s a trigger for us because of our trauma. We aren’t talking about triggers in this episode though, we wanted to talk about how the places in which our trauma happened were - are - beautiful places. They were our “happy places”. How can something so beautiful - the great outdoors, water, God’s wonderful works of art - bring so much pain and anxiety now? Will that ever change? This episode covers our stories from the days our children passed. Obviously, there is so much more we could say about that day but this a look into our "worst day ever" and some of the emotions that we had. Grab a box of tissues if you need to. We share our stories in hopes that you woul...

  Listen to our Portraits of Grief Podcast Interview Sunflowers & Red Feathers:   Child Loss, Deeply Bereaved Yet Encouraged Episode Description: Special guests Kristina and Steffanie from the online community and blog cast “Sunflowers and Red Feathers,” join us to share their parallel grief stories. After both going through the unimaginable of losing a child during the same year, Kristina & Steffanie found friendship in each other. Together as bereaved mothers and friends, these inspiring two have created a beautiful, safe space to encourage and support other bereaved parents. And, talk truths about child loss. A touching episode you won’t want to miss. @portraits_of_grief

Kendra Rinaldi @griefgratitudepodcast Interview This episode of Sunflowers & Red Feathers is a part of our Interview Series.  We were able to talk with Kendra Rinaldi who has her own podcast called Grief, Gratitude, and the Gray in Between. Her grief journey started when she lost her 19-year-old sister when she was 21. She then suffered a miscarriage and her mom died of Pancreatic cancer 4 years ago. She is all too familiar with grief. She started her podcast in March 2020 and has been interviewing people in all different walks of grief: loss of a spouse, friend, parent, and children. Her podcast “is about exploring the grief that occurs at different times in our lives and the gratitude that can come from growing through it.” She has been able to find gratitude in her own grief and wants to provide grievers with tools to help them through their grief as well as the knowledge that they aren’t alone on their journey. We recognize that grief comes with a wide range of emotions a...

  Reading The Invisible String & Discussion #watchreadlisten as we read The Invisible String by Patrice Karst.  In this episode of Sunflowers & Red Feathers we read and discussed a beloved children's book that touches on the reach our love can have whether it's for the person in the next room or all the way to Heaven. This is a great children's book that helps us to remember that we can still be connected to our children and others who have died.  “You don’t need to see the Invisible String. People who love each other are always connected by a very special String made of love.” Let us know what you think about this book and if you have any other book recommendations for us to check out! -Sunflowers & Red Feathers Check out our  flowpage  to see how you can #watchreadlisten to our episodes!

  Stephanie Dawson @death_gurumn Interview Welcome to our Interview Series! We, Kristina and Steffanie, understand that e very bereaved parent’s grief journey is different. We want to be able to share what others go through to help bereaved parents to know that what they are feeling is “right”. It’s ok to feel the way you do. No one grieves the same way. We can't stress enough about how everyone's "normal" will look unique because child loss grief is 100% unique to you as a bereaved individual.  Our Interview Series will have many different stories that you are bound to relate to! Our interview for this episode was with Stephanie Dawson, referred to as Steph in the recording. Stephanie is a bereaved mother in Minnesota. She lost a sibling at a young age, became a grief doula, lost her son in January 2020, and now is certified in grief counseling. Hear about her grief journey and the advice she would give to those along their way.  She is a nurse, writer, and death d...

Being a Mother To Children On Both Sides Of Heaven As young moms with school-aged children and younger, we are torn between parenting and loving those who are here on Earth and wishing we could parent our children who are no longer here. When you have children in Heaven, your heart aches in their absence. We will forever feel like a piece of us is missing. Every day is a constant battle of the wills as we long for the one not with us yet wholeheartedly love our other children equally. We see our missed children in their siblings’ faces, a familiar laughter echoing off the walls that were once theirs, and are constantly bombarded with memories of the same joyful play. Yes, we love our children here on this side of Heaven, but oh how we wish we could be in both places sometimes. In this episode we, Kristina and Steffanie, get real about what it is like to parent children on both sides of heaven. We share our experiences of teaching our younger children that never got to meet their older ...

 TCF Boise | Live Series: Another Year Without Your Child January 2021 The coming of a new year is hard on every bereaved parent. It's a confirmation that time is still moving forward even though your world feels like it stops when your child dies. For those farther along in their grief journey, it's another year gone by that they had to continue living without them - missing their birthday, anniversary date, holidays, and family events again in their absence. Chapter Leaders Kristina Cunningham and Steffanie Empey read this story and discuss what it means to them and how to cope with the coming of 2021. We hope it finds you well.