9 MONTHS:
The approximate length of time by which we typically measure a pregnancy.
The first time I measured a season of my life in a 9 month span it had nothing to do with childbearing. It began the day a man knelt on one knee before me and ended when, with one-sided peace and clarity, he declared our relationship’s end. Our 9 month engagement concluded as a stillborn romance.
The following year of my life was a tedious journey of slow recovery, but I began to regain my eyesight for Hope, Healing, and Goodness in the land of the living, despite the broken and jaded condition of my heart.
A year after my engagement's end I unexpectedly met a man who was uniquely prepared to understand my journey. He was patient with my healing and spoke truth against the lies I believed about myself.
That man is now my husband.
He is the love of my life and the closest of friends. He is hard-working, kind-hearted, always at the ready with a "Dad-joke" or cringe-worthy pun, and the first to track down a misfit in a crowd to make sure they know they are of value.
A year and a half into our marriage we volunteered at a week-long camp for kids in the foster care system. We returned home filled with peace and excitement at the notion of starting a family, whether that be via conception or adoption. In a matter of weeks those miraculous two lines, which forever alter your life, appeared on a little plastic test. We rejoiced in our newfound titles:
"Parent, Father, Mother, Daddy, Momma."
However, I'll never forget the day those titles became disembodied, when I began to miscarry, labor, and deliver our 8 ½ week old firstborn on July 27th, 2019.
The pain of loss is no friend. It can cripple, kill, and transform even the most joyful hearted into deadened cynics. The loss of our first child carried every ounce of momentum to knock us off our feet.
Nevertheless, we stood together.
As we grieved, we each found ourselves oddly grateful for our own journeys through previous losses, as they foretold the existence of Hope, Healing, and Goodness in the land of the living on the other side of our grief. We wept as we buried our firstborn, but not without setting our sights on hope.
Years previous, when I selectively began to share just how shattered I was by my near-marriage experience, I was unexpectedly greeted by a silent community of sufferers. People vulnerably shared their own near-marriage stories and tales of painful, one-sided divorces. In a similar way, as my husband and I allowed others into our pain of losing a child, we learned that a silent community of sufferers existed here, too. People close to us opened up about their own miscarriages, stillbirths, abortions, and losses of young children. I spent the next two years haunted by two questions:
- How many people don't experientially know that Hope, Healing, and Goodness in the land of the living still exist on the other side of their worst nightmares?
- Why do so many people wrap their stories up in silence?
The discovered and undiscovered answers to these questions are the foundation beneath MyJuly27.
Our vision is to shine light on life’s darkest days.
That light encourages cultural space for grieving. That light teaches empathy to those who don’t know the pain of loss. That light stands as a beacon of Hope, Healing, and Goodness in the land of the living on the other side of our worst nightmares.
Our mission is to artistically commemorate your story of loss.
One story at a time, we can cumulatively create a culture where the silent community of sufferers is silent no longer.
That's MyJuly27™ story.
What's yours?
Sincerely,
Shareya Holm
Owner of MyJuly27
Head to the shop HERE to see MyJuly27's resources and keepsakes
11 comments
Dear Ms. Holm,
My name is David Ortiz. I am the Marketing Manager for a online Sports/“Anti Woke” show named: Behind The Line. Behind The Line produces an estimated 45 videos per month and is a sports/political show that analyzes and critiques the “Woke political” movement that occurs frequently within the sports and cable TV news world and its attempts at brainwashing the public to accept mental insanity. On average we receive an estimated 2 million views per month and growing. Many of our viewers are passionate sports fans as well as Libertarian and Conservative minded.
I am reaching out to My July 27 because I saw one of your social media ads online on a politically conservative platform. We have a similar demographic to the one it seems would appreciate your services. Due to our content a large segment of our audience are conservative/Libertarian minded and would like to support like minded businesses. Approximately two years ago we decided to open up our platform to advertisers. I wanted to know if you would be interested in targeting our audience via a traditional advertising relationship if you liked our outlet? Our average video receives an estimated 20 K views, however hundreds of videos have received more views. An estimated 81% of our audience are males. An estimated 72% of our audience are 50 years of age and older!
We have already attracted over a dozen partners. We expect our audience to grow by 1/3 annually. Our Host Mr. Kristopher Whitten will promote My July 27 by providing you with an estimated 60 second live read within approximately the first 4 minutes of a segment. In addition to your live read for an additional fee he can also promote your business via a product placement throughout the entirety of his story. This means he can wear clothing that promotes your business and let the audience know he is doing so or place your product next to him throughout the entirety of his story. This will add additional lengthy visibility to your product/services. You can also have Exclusivity in your industry on our platform. Lastly, you would be the only Sponsor featured in a video and your website link will be placed in the description section beneath the video you are featured in.
Below I have posted several video examples, some that also feature Live Read examples. Once our slots are taken they will rarely open up. One partner can order as many as 20 slots per month. We will work diligently to promote My July 27 to our audience. We are only seeking a traditional advertising relationship.
Recent viral videos. Viewership has increased by at least 50% since the campaign started yet our pricing has remained the same.
337 K views & growing-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3eNIi_A-Qc&t=13s
296 k views & growing-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T34a83ukNnw&t=2s
192 k views & growing-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE26xHBm9FI
Live read examples:
Live Read w/ product placement (Beef Jerky partner) live read starts at approximately the 2:49 mark- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNwsjBqUy8k&t=170s ( over 190 K views & still trending)
Live Read w/ product placement (CBD Lotions & soap partner, estimated 64 K views). Live read starts at approximately the 3: 24 mark -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4zcDt3r7EY&t=6s
Live Read w/ product placement (Golf coaching partner), live read starts at approximately the 4: 02 mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLHK4MGD6nQ (estimated 41 k views)
Live read w/ product placement on viral video (over 154 K views, Political T Shirt partner). Live read starts at approximately the 3:43 mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxJHvk4aBJ4&t=48s
Live ready w/ product placement (Anti woke card game) at 3:43 mark-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8QuT4Kaul4&t=345s
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Sincerely,David OrtizMarketing Manager, Behind The Line Show(201) 962-3407https://www.youtube.com/@behindtheline7640/videos
Your ad came up on FB and instantly caught my attention because it’s my daughter’s birthday. A day filled with such joy for us brought such a profound loss for you and for that I’m sorry. My July27 baby however is a rainbow baby. She’s our second child after 8 years of heartbreak trying for another and multiple losses along the way. We named her Faith. Just wanted to reach out and say I see you and that I’m sorry for your loss.
Our date of remembrance is June 26,2000. We got to spend 11 precious days with your cousin John Calvin and then released him into God’s hands. We found ourselves back in the church we had the memorial service in last month on that anniversary day. We sang It Is Well at the end of the service. Tears of healing flowed. We adopted our three children in 2010 and are so thankful for the chance to be parents.
I love my beautiful pendant. Thank you for letting me have a tangible remembrance of the daughter I never held in my arms❤️🩹
What a beautiful message and mission. Love what you’re doing friend! ❤️