What Did She Just Say?
I laughed as I wrote the first part of this title!
Most of us think of “hot springs” or “sleep” or “massage” when healing properties come to mind. But, let’s be real, most moms are sleep deprived, don’t have the time or money for massages and finding a hot spring is like finding the holy grail – probably not happening!
The Healing Properties of Donuts
So, to donuts we go!
And, for me, it’s not just any donut. It’s the Boston Cream Donut from Dunkin’ Donuts.
It tastes like Sunday morning to me. A day when my family of six sat side-by-side in a church pew and, as the baby of the family, I felt safe and surrounded by love. After mass, we always got a dozen donuts.
That may be why, in my darkest days, I go back to the Boston Cream Donut.
Long and Winding Road to Motherhood
Like so many women, my dream of becoming a mom was a long and winding road.
“I’ve had fertility shots in the bathroom of a TV Station before anchoring the news. I’ve cried in a news vehicle, with a photographer by my side, as I learned that the baby I carried would have been a boy. I’ve peed on a stick and known the joy of that pink line.”
Julie Kelley, Founder Truly Jude
Heartbeats and Healing After Pregnancy Loss
It was the first time I got pregnant that I learned the healing properties of donuts. It was twins and there were heartbeats … but not for long.
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When I went in for my D & C, they wrapped me in this Bear Hugger blanket that blew up with hot air, but nothing could stop how cold I felt inside.
When I got home and was laying on the couch, it wasn’t the cold that got me. It was the wave of emptiness. The intense hole that I felt right in my own body. An empty space that was once filled with hope for the family I dreamed of.
“What can I get you?”
My husband asked, “What can I get you?”
“Boston Cream Donuts”
For a week, he came home with six Boston Cream donuts each day, and yes, in my grief, I ate all six, EVERY SINGLE DAY! I was desperately trying to fill up that hole with something that brought me comfort.
And, in some ways, it did. When you go through loss, while you are deeply grateful for the embrace of others, ultimately, it is yours to come to terms with.
Maybe, with each bite, it was the comfort of family I tasted and that’s okay.
My Healed Heart
Sometimes, the healing properties of donuts are just as powerful as the healing properties of a good night’s sleep (… though I wouldn’t know because my 5-year-old is an early riser!)
That’s right, my prayers to St. Jude ultimately brought me my miracle!
Just this morning he rose with the break of dawn, threw open my bedroom curtain and said, “You have to come see this! It’s all pink!”
I heard his joy and took in the beauty of that sunrise. I felt it’s healing properties and thanked God for the long and winding road that brought me here.
Do you have a Survivor Story?
There’s a reason they call it “comfort food”! As you read this, are you saying, “Yes, I’ve been there!” It may not be the healthiest solution, but sometimes we just need a moment to be messy and broken and eat bad food to help us start to heal.
Please share your story in the comments and sign up to be a part of the Truly Jude community!
Truly,
Julie
Some of the things we go through just to get pregnant! Temperature taking, pillow under here, standing over there…. But ,that loss, that “miscarriage of motherhood” cause thats what Tim and I called it!
We finally had our pretty little in pink, after 12 years of marriage!
Crazy ,comfort food? Ruffles with sour cream and onion dip! Yum!
You got your miracle … and ate some chips getting there! Love you lady! Wow, the “miscarriage of motherhood” what a sad and profound way to describe it, but so true. Thank you for sharing this. We are not alone.