From a Movement to a Ministry — The Holding Place
In the beginning, Something to Hold was simply a response. It was a reaction from our own personal walk with back to back loss which led to a “reach out” on a hard day. We knew first hand where the gap was as we walked the healing journey.
It wasn’t a text asking how we were or a question “what can we do”. It seemed like people didn’t know what to do and at the same time, we didn’t know what we needed. We were all learning how to navigate this just on different sides of the road.
The important thing was, we knew there was a desire to do something.
After we made this blanket for ourselves, it was a clear and easy sign that this is what could be done for others. Once we shared that on social media, it was proven.
Blankets were made.
Donations were given.
Names were shared in confidence.
And what started as a small act of care quickly began to grow.
It spread from person to person, home to home, heart to heart.
It became a movement.
This is what our Movement looked like —
The momentum and generosity were there from the start. We announced our first event to make this “blanket making” a thing and it filled up.
Churches invited us to make blankets with their groups and we figured it out as it went.
It was not hard to share this with anyone outside of figuring out how to organize it all. The flock came in fast and as a mom of loss myself, it will always be amazing to witness.
There was no perfect system, no polished structure even if I tried. Everyone gave (and still gives) so much grace as we learn how to run this. There just has always been a shared desire to love families well in their grief.
It was always a movement, and although nothing really changed, we realized how much more of a ministry it was all along.
When We Realized It was Always More
Nothing profound happened, we just took a second to think back to why this all was happening in the first place. We would share about our mission at events, how we started, and the purpose of what these blankets represent.
These blankets represent our babies that we lost. We made ours because my arms truly needed something to hold. Although the grief was heavy, we learned how to carry it differently. I am not going to say we had it easier than anyone else but in a way I do want to claim that. I want to claim it because we believe in eternity and what our Lord has done for us. For lack of a better term, maybe it is “easier” for us when we have all the faith that we’ll hold these babies again one day.
The same things we have been sharing all this time — this movement wasn’t so much of just a way to support others in loss, it was a way to encourage them by sharing our faith.
This was something the Lord was building through the mission of Something to Hold all along. No new speeches, no new visions. Always loving others like Jesus, sharing the gospel and using blankets to spread this message.
Grief doesn’t come in waves that pass quickly. It sticks around, shape shifts, looks different daily. Grief should be met with something steady. There is nothing more steady in my life than my faith and the way God loves us.
What Makes This a Ministry
The visions and growth plans for Something to Hold became more intentional.
More anchored. More prepared to serve — not just in moments of urgency, but in an ongoing, dependable way. How it could go past “the blankets” to be a more steady support in this loss for families. Stewarding these needs to the best of our abilities and always leaning on God to lead the way and provide just as He always has.
This is what we have been thinking and praying about — moving from being “movement minded” to “ministry minded” meant asking:
How do we serve families well, not just quickly or more of them?
How do we support not just once, but continually?
How do we build something that lasts?
And perhaps most importantly:
How do we remain faithful to what God has entrusted to us?
What This Means Going Forward
Something to Hold still carries the heart of a movement. It is still fueled by people showing up. Still shaped by generosity. Still growing in ways we couldn’t have planned.
It is important to us that this work is being built to last — structured, intentional, and rooted in care that extends beyond a single moment.
This shift allows us to care for more families better, more thoughtfully, and for longer. We came to the decision to close our shipping for a number of reasons but the one that felt the most heavy was our need to love our neighbors right here in NW Indiana. It is not about sending out the most blankets, it is about each blanket fulfilling what God needs it to.
It allows us to build — not just respond.
A Work Still Unfolding
We are still learning. Still building. Still depending on the Lord every step of the way and oh - so eager to continue watching it all unfold.
But we can see it now more clearly: What began as a movement was never meant to stay there.
It was the beginning of something deeper. Something steadier, a pillar for this community to lean on. Something that could hold not just blankets — but people, stories, and grief with care.
A ministry.
If you’ve ever wondered how to help—this is it.
You can be part of this ministry by:
making blankets
giving financially
sharing our mission
or simply praying for the families we serve
That is a way summarized list of how you can join this ministry in motion! It is all much bigger than what we dreamed in the beginning and God is leading us into serving with much more intention. The mission isn’t changing, there are just more details fitting between the lines.
As we look ahead, we are prayerfully working toward a dedicated space where this ministry can continue to grow — where blankets are made, families are served, and community is built. This would be that steady place for those in the grief. It would be a constant for consistent serving opportunities. A dedicated place for Something to Hold would help us host even more gatherings that grow the community, support their needs and share the gospel.
This is our deepest prayer request — that God’s will be done as He has laid on our hearts to pursue a place for Something to hold to be. The Holding Place. We ask for prayers as we fundraise, that the needed people who hope to hold an impact in this mission can find their way to us, that the timing of the needed resources come at just the right time God needs this to come into fruition, that the wherever the walls of this building are — that it is ready for serving hearts because we have them!
