October 15 is the official Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. There are many ways you might be able to participate and honor your loss (or losses).

First of all, you could plan on being part of the worldwide wave of light in honor of October 15. People from all around the world will be lighting candles at 7pm in all time zones. According to the October 15th website (http://www.october15th.com/) “if everyone lights a candle at 7pm and keeps it burning for at least one hour, there will be a continuous wave of light.”

Additionally, many communities and organizations will sponsor memorial walks or fundraisers. My local Methodist church is hosting a service of Hope and Healing on the evening of October 15 in honor of babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.

If no one in your area is planning an event, you can still remember your loss. In addition to participating in the wave of light ceremony mentioned above, you could observe a moment of silence, read a poem or prayer or listen to music that is meaningful to you. While it may be too late to organize an activity for this year, you may be inspired to organize something for next year.

One of the best ways to honor your loss is to reach out to someone else. There are many excellent online forums and support groups which discuss pregnancy and infant loss. Most are free to post in. Tell your story or respond to someone who seems to be especially struggling at this time. Whether your own loss happened recently or a while ago, telling your story and offering your support can be very powerful.

If you utilize social media like Facebook or Twitter you may want to let people know that pregnancy and infant loss happens and that there is a day devoted to honoring those losses. Everybody knows that breast cancer awareness is this month but many people are unaware of pregnancy and infant loss. Spread the word. Share links. Get people talking. You can show your support anonymously if you're really reluctant to share your story or you can also use social media to share your experience and why awareness is important to you.

Too often, women are encouraged to forget these losses and move on. However, I believe it's only by accepting these losses and honoring them that we can heal.