INVERNESS: A local group wants those suffering the loss of children to know they are not alone.
Christine Dowling, President and Founder of the Little Spirits Society of Cape Breton, told The Reporter they are hosting a local Global Wave of Light event on Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building in Port Hood. At 7 p.m., she said the building housing the administrative offices for the Municipality of the County of Inverness will be lit up in pink and blue, in honour of the international day.
Dowling said the society will have coffee and tea (donated by the Port Hood Co-op), and other refreshments, then a short ceremony (with speeches) will precede the illumination at 7 pm. Since this is an outdoor event, it is mandatory to follow public health guidelines, she said.
“We have glow sticks for participants who come. They can pick if they want a pink, a blue, a purple if they want gender neutral, and we also have orange glow sticks for the native community,” Dowling noted. “It’s a very nice, prominent building in Port Hood and they were very happy to get on board to take part in it this year.”
Each year on Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in all time zones, the International Wave of Light invites baby loss families, friends, loved ones, and supporting organizations from across the world to unite in solidarity, while illuminating the night in a Global Wave of Light, in honour and remembrance of babies gone too soon, and in support of their families.
“The plan is the lights will come on and everybody can break their glow sticks, then we’ll have a poem read,” Dowling said.
Nationally in 2020, there were 3,063 still born babies (those over 20 weeks), Dowling noted.
“A lot of women and families, they grieve in private, because with a lot of miscarriages, they haven’t even told people that they’re expecting yet, so when they lose the baby, they don’t feel they can grieve publicly. Women, they’re going back to work two days after they’ve had a miscarriage like they haven’t just lost a child,” Dowling explained. “That is changing; people are more willing to talk about it because it is so common.”
Beginning at the International Dateline on Christmas Island in the first time zone, illuminations and candles remain lit for a period of at least one hour, with the next time zone lighting in its turn, moving westward as the Wave of Light circumnavigates the globe. Buildings, landmarks, monuments, and venues are illuminated in the Wave of Light’s official campaign colours, pink, blue, and purple too; while individuals, families, friends, and supporting organizations participate in the lighting of candles at home and in the community.
The Little Spirits Society of Cape Breton, a newly formed non-profit society located in Inverness County, said it is focused on creating a memorial park or garden where bereaved parents can memorialize the children they lost.
The society is waiting for its designation as a registered charity from the Canada Revenue Agency, and once that is official, Dowling said they will be seeking monetary donations or donations of land for the garden. They are a registered non-profit society with the Province of Nova Scotia, she noted.
After looking for board members last year, Dowling said they now have seven members, three from Inverness County, three from Victoria County and one from Cape Breton County.
The society received its incorporation documents in August, and they were able to approach Inverness Municipal Council first to get their approval for the event, Dowling said. She said they are trying to get a website up and running, and planning to offer a borrowing library for parents with resources to help them cope with loss.
“But our hope is next year, we’ll get Port Hawkesbury up and running, and Baddeck, and Richmond County. We’d like to see several events happening for Oct. 15 next year,” she noted.
For more on the Little Spirits Society, email: littlespiritssociety@gmail.com or go to their Facebook page: LittleSpirtsSociety.
“We want people in the community to feel there are others, that they’re not alone. That the community sees them and recognizes their grief,” Dowling added. “To honour to those little lives in some way.”