The Birth Circle will hold a ceremony at the Loss Memorial Bench at Sells Park to honor and celebrate the short lives of babies lost through miscarriage, stillbirth or in infancy. This year’s ceremony will include readings and a time of sharing. The event is open to the public, and children are welcome to attend. If parents are unable to attend the ceremony but would like their child’s name or due date spoken, or a particular poem or prayer read, they can contact Ariel or Julia at athensbirthcircle@gmail.com.

“This memorial bench was dedicated in 2010… [Members of the Birth Circle] realized that local parents struggling with childbearing losses needed somewhere to go, somewhere to reflect and mourn, individually and collectively, somewhere that represented the lives and deaths of their children. And that same place could serve to create public awareness of this issue – for there are too few ways that these losses are formally acknowledged in our society. One in every three women who conceives is touched by a childbearing loss. Yet our society minimizes our grief, and our babies are forgotten.

But we are here to change that, here in this beautiful place, in spirit with the earth, to publicly grieve for our lost babies. Parents and families, this memorial and this ceremony are for you. You are not alone in your grief. Today we acknowledge and embrace your baby’s life, and we hope that you feel lifted by the sense of community here today.”

– Molly Wales, former Director of the Birth Circle