Wednesday, June 17, 2015

A lovely gift for a friend after loss (+ giveaway)

A few weeks ago, an email popped into my inbox from the Happy Mommy Box that introducing the themed boxes they offer. Happy Mommy Boxes are meant to be encouragement for moms and make especially great gifts for a mom friend who needs a little special surprise to brighten her day. I had seen the boxes before (and obviously signed up for email updates); they were filled with fun little surprises - mugs or bags with encouraging quotes, jewelry or hair ties, etc. In essence, things that are fun to open, pretty to look at, and let you know that the sender wanted to encourage and inspire you in your vocation of motherhood.

So, I opened the email expecting to see more of that. And I did. But I was also shocked, and more that a bit touched, to see that one of the boxes offered was a Grief and Loss Themed Box. It's not often (or maybe ever?) that I've seen a company geared toward moms that is inclusive of moms who have experienced loss. When searching for pregnancy loss gifts in the past, I've only seen them sold through companies (mostly small etsy businesses) geared directly toward pregnancy loss. So just the fact that this box even exists sets Happy Mommy Box apart.

The little gifts and cards I've received after my losses have meant so very much to me. Just knowing that someone is thinking about me and understands the depths of my loss is so helpful to the grieving process. So many times, women feel very alone after a loss. Receiving a carefully picked gift in the mail is such a blessing. But it's often hard, especially if you have not experienced loss on your own, to know what to send. The Grief and Loss Themed Box takes the guesswork out of the gift and puts together some very thoughtful items:


"You are my beloved" print. Something lovely to hang in your home to remember that even during the darkest times, you are loved.


"Bind my wandering hear to thee" journal. A place to write down your thoughts and prayers, hopes and fears, anger and sadness.


Psalm 34:18 hand stamped necklace. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." What a perfect scripture passage to remember that the Lord is near.


Elastic headbands. A little something pretty is especially helpful when you don't have the energy to care for yourself and feel worn down spiritually.

I think this box would make the most lovely gift for someone who has recently lost a baby. My only concern is that maybe the "Happy Mommy Box" packaging might be a sting at first, especially if she has no other living children.. But I'm sure once she opened it, she wouldn't mind anymore because the gifts inside are not for the "happy mommy" but perfectly curated for the grieving mother.

Each of the items in the box are available for individual purchase if you did not want to send an entire box, and you can also make a customized box from mixing and matching the items available. (It's much cheaper to buy items in a box than individually if you're planning to buy a few items.)

After seeing the Grief and Loss Box, I contacted Happy Mommy Box to see if they would be willing to give away a box to one of my readers. And they said yes! Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Open to residents of the US and Canada. PLEASE, I'm asking that you only enter if either you have lost a baby yourself or, if you win, you plan to have the box sent to a friend who has lost a baby.  Thank you! 

26 comments:

  1. What a lovely box. Like you, I'm so touched they would think to have one for mothers who have suffered loss.

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  2. What a beautiful thoughtful box of gifts. We had a loss of our sweet baby in February.

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  3. Oh my gosh! My friend showed me this exact box last week, and I loved it (and was surprised it existed, like you), so we sent one to a friend who had just miscarried. I've been meaning to email you about it!

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  4. This is a great idea! I was just thinking I need to stock up on some sweet things... I always try to go too personal and usually end up not doing as much as I wanted to. My friend Sarah lost her daughter in the NICU at 24 weeks and I sent her some teas, a journal, a meal gift card, and a pair of socks with roses on them (her daughter's middle name was Rose), and I received several awesome care packages with chocolate, teas, homemade granola, and some just-add-water soups that were SO helpful to have. I've never forgotten those kindnesses after our losses and hope to continue supporting other friends who are going through the same thing.

    -abby hummel

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  5. Thanks for sharing about these boxes!

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  6. My friend Amy recently lost her baby girl - due to complications during labor, little Gianna Rose lived for four days before heading to Heaven. I brought Amy and her husband dinner and groceries a couple of times, along with hugs and prayers. If I win this giveaway, I'll be sending the box to her.

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  7. Unfortunately, before my own loss I never would have thought to give a gift to someone who suffered a loss. I always prayed for them and was open to listening, but never thought of a gift. When I lost my Hope, I received a beautiful painting made by a friend who I talked to about my feelings after losing Hope. It has been a source of healing every time I get to look at it. I just wish I can come up with as thoughtful of a gift for someone else as my friend did for me.

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  8. I am SO glad to know that this exists. Thank you for sharing. I will be bookmarking it to share with friends in the future. When we lost a baby to miscarriage, the godmother of my middle son sent us a beautiful pink and blue rosary. Every day when I see or hold it, I think of our baby and the love which surrounded us in our grief. So important.

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  9. I lost our first baby. It was such a difficult time for me and my husband.
    I have a friend who has lost many sweet babies. If I win this giveaway, I will send the box to her.

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  10. We've lost 2 babies, and I knew how hard it was for those who hadn't experienced a miscarriage to know what to say or how to express their concern. What a beautiful gift!

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  11. This is such a beautiful idea. If I win, I will be sending the box to my future sister-in-law, who miscarried at 28 weeks last fall.

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  12. I have a friend who lost their baby. Would like to give this to them

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  13. This is such a beautiful box. I love this idea. We lost a baby in February and it has been so painful. Thank you for the giveaway.

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  14. I love this idea. And the box is filled with lovely, heartfelt, faith-filled gifts. I've given journals before, but I love all the other stuff. Beautiful and touching.

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  15. I received several small gifts from family and friends including a small statue and the most beautiful card. My husband had everything put into a shadow box for me that hangs in our room.

    I would give the box to a friend who just suffered a miscarriage.

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  16. I received several sympathy cards and some sweet friends made a donation to a pro-life organization in memory of our baby.

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  17. I know just the friend I would send this too.

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  18. I have a friend who just lost another baby yesterday... This would be perfect for her (as it would have been for me after my losses)!

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  19. After recently going through the loss of my first child and dealing with such incredible heartache and loneliness, I am comforted by this package and that someone is thinking about us mothers who have lost our children. Thank you for sharing, Mandi! I appreciate your perspective and writing.

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  20. I would love to give this to a dear friend!

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  21. I love this and would love to receive something like this.

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  22. What a beautiful gift. I would have loved to receive something like this when I experienced my own loss.

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  23. This is the perfect gift loss for someone needing love.

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  24. My friend gave me a kit to make root beer floats when I had a loss last Christmas. It was such a lovely gesture. This is a fantastic idea- I especially love the necklace, as I've been feeling particularly broken lately.

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  25. This is a heartfelt gift. I would also have loved to receive this during my losses.

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  26. A very lovely gift for a friend :) I so like this hand stamped necklace with engraved verse on it.

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