This special bonus episode highlights the program from the Wave of Light event that Bridget's Cradles hosted in Wichita, Kansas, on October 15, 2024, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. In this episode, we shared:
The program and announcements from our Wave of Light 2024 event
Emcee Scott Evans and Pastor John Carney's remarks and Ashley Opliger's speech from the event
A thank you to our generous corporate and memorial sponsors
A special guitar solo by Steve Golik, Ashley’s Dad, titled “Bridget’s Ballad” played in his honor
Josh Sander’s musical performance at Wave of Light
Reading of Names of Babies in Heaven (for families that registered/attended or sponsored the event)
You can download a digital copy of our event program below:
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Ashley Opliger is the Executive Director of Bridget's Cradles, a nonprofit organization based in Wichita, Kansas that donates cradles to over 1,400 hospitals in all 50 states and comforts over 30,000 bereaved families a year.
Ashley is married to Matt and they have three children: Bridget (in Heaven), and two sons. She is a follower of Christ who desires to share the hope of Heaven with families grieving the loss of a baby.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Bonus Episode - Wave of Light 2024
Ashley Opliger: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Cradled in Hope Podcast. I’m your host, Ashley Opliger. I’m a wife, mom, and follower of Christ who founded Bridget’s Cradles, a nonprofit ministry in memory of my daughter, Bridget, who was stillborn at 24 weeks.
Cradled in Hope is a Gospel-focused podcast for grieving moms to find comfort, hope, and healing after the loss of a baby. We want this to be a safe place for your broken heart to land.
Here, we are going to trust God’s promise to heal our hearts, restore our joy, and use our grief for good. With faith in Jesus and eyes fixed on Heaven, we do not have to grieve without hope. We believe that Jesus cradles us in hope while He cradles our babies in Heaven.
Welcome to the Cradled in Hope Podcast.
Ashley Opliger: [00:00:49] Welcome to the special bonus episode for Wave of Light 2024. On October 15th, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, Bridget’s Cradles hosted a community candlelight vigil in Wichita, Kansas, at Beech Lake in memory of our babies in Heaven. We were so blessed to meet so many of you and give you a big hug at the event, and it was an honor to walk through the rows of twinkling lights together in remembrance of our babies in Heaven.
I know many of you also live out of state and participated in the Wave of Light from your own homes all across the country. So whether you joined us in person in Wichita or from afar with a candle burning bright for your baby, we hope you know that we were saying prayers for you and remembering your babies in Heaven with you.
The Wave of Light event in Wichita was a sacred time of remembering our babies and celebrating the hope that we have to see them again through faith in Jesus. For this episode, we are going to share the program from the event as well as the reading of all the babies in Heaven's names whose parents either registered, attended, or sponsored the event.
First, we're going to listen to an audio recording from the event, starting with the opening remarks from our emcee, Scott Evans, and the opening prayer from our pastor, Pastor John Carney.
You will also hear a musical performance from Josh Sanders, who was on the last season of NBC's The Voice. Josh is a grieving dad to Leelynd Thomas Sanders, who was stillborn in March of 2020. You will hear from both Josh and his wife, Kendra, sharing their story of losing Leelynd and the hope that they found in Jesus. I can't wait for you to hear their story.
You will also hear the speech that I prepared for Wave of Light and hear more of my story in losing my father to a drunk driver and the hope that I’ve found in Heaven. I can't wait for you to listen to this episode. Let's start with our opening remarks from emcee Scott Evans.
Scott Evans: [00:02:39] Thank you for coming here tonight. This is an amazing event, amazing opportunity. My name is Scott Evans. I'm honored to be the emcee for the evening. I got to do this a couple of years ago and it was an amazing opportunity.
I became familiar with Bridget’s Cradles several years ago and I've been latched on ever since, and now serve on the Advisory Council for Bridget’s Cradles. I'm honored to be part of Via Christi, which is the presenting sponsor this year.
The resources that Bridget’s Cradles provides also impacts my family. I lost a sister at a month-old, preemie, and then just about six weeks ago, I have a niece who was stillborn. And because Bridget’s Cradles is in every state, I was able to make a couple phone calls.
The hospital that my niece was delivered in did not have the cradle but had some connections, and made some phone calls, and worked with Casey, and we were able to find a cradle for my brother and his wife and get it there and get it to them just in time.
So I'm honored to be able to be here this evening and remember our babies in Heaven together. We want to get started now. Pastor John is here, he is on the Advisory Council with me. He's a care pastor at Central Community Church. Pastor John is going to join us now to lead us in prayer.
Pastor John Carney: [00:04:10] Good evening. And Scott introduced me as pastor, but I am here because I support Bridget’s Cradles and I believe in this ministry and all that it does in touching and ministering to the families and not in just this area, but all across the country. So let's just begin and ask the Lord to bless our time together.
Our gracious, loving Father, we are thankful that we can gather together for this event. And we thank You, Father, for Bridget’s Cradles. And we praise You, O God, that You are able to bring beauty out of ashes. And Father, that as we gather tonight to remember, to honor these young lives who are with You, who are in Heaven, Lord, we thank You for that.
Father, Jesus, when He was here on this earth, said, “Suffer not the little children to come unto Me.” It wasn't a statement that He made, but it was a promise, a promise that, God, You have kept and that, Lord, we can honor these lives and pray, Father, that God, the families will be, Lord, they will be strengthened and comforted tonight as we share in this time together.
So Father, bless each one. Wrap Your arms around each person here tonight. And Father, may Jesus Christ receive all the honor and glory, for it is in Him that, Lord, we have our life. And Father, it is in Him that we have our hope for eternity. And we pray this in His precious and holy Name. Amen.
Ashley Opliger: [00:06:11] I now want to thank our presenting sponsor, Ascension Via Christi, for their compassionate role that they played in generously donating $5,000 toward Wave of Light. Without them, this event would not be possible, and so I would love for you to hear a little bit about Ascension Via Christi. a hospital local to us in Wichita, Kansas.
Ascension: [00:06:34] Thank you to Bridget’s Cradles for including Via Christi as the presenting sponsor of this year's Wave of Light. At Via Christi, we are rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as Healer. We commit ourselves to serving all persons with dignity, giving special attention to those who are most vulnerable.
We're proud of our teams at St. Joseph, who deliver care to mothers and babies at a most vulnerable time. Our childbirth education teams are dedicated to providing free classes to help build confident families, and our labor and delivery care, postpartum, and NICU teams delivering award-winning and compassionate care to our smallest patients.
Thank you, Bridget’s Cradles, for the work you do in supporting the families of this community.
Scott Evans: [00:07:18] I told you earlier that we have a celebrity here. Josh Sanders flew to us from North Carolina to sing for us tonight. Josh and his wife, Kendra, lost their son, Leelynd Thomas, back in 2020 and they received a Bridget’s Cradles to hold him in.
When Josh was on NBC's The Voice, they shared his story and a photo of them holding Leelynd in the cradle on national television. Ashley reached out to them and they've been friends ever since. We're honored to have them here in Kansas, singing in memory of all of our babies in Heaven. We'd like to welcome Josh and Kendra to the stage.
Kendra Sanders: [00:07:58] On March 27, 2020, that was the day that would change our lives forever. On March 27th, our son was born. Leelynd Thomas Sanders entered this world and we spent three hours on this side of Heaven with our son. Walking into the hospital on Josh's birthday, we never imagined walking out without our son Leelynd, but God had a different plan for his future and his life.
As we prepared for delivery, we didn't know what to expect, but losing our child was not an option that we could accept. While spending what little time with Leelynd that we were given, surrounded by our families and close friends, through tears, prayers and pleading, Josh and I were given the opportunity to give him his only bath and wrap him in a beautiful cradle that was gifted to our local hospital.
Josh Sanders: [00:08:49] The gift of a cradle from Bridget’s Cradles would be the only thing that our tiny little Leelynd would fit into that day. And it was a gift we didn't know that we would receive, but one that we would be forever grateful for.
Kendra has said many times that even though we didn't know where it came from at that time, that we may never know whose hands knitted it together, but we do know what we felt that day. And what we felt through that cradle was the love and the prayers that were put into that cradle the moment that we wrapped our little Leelynd inside of it.
Kendra Sanders: [00:09:35] This journey of grief moving forward with our daughters at home and our son waiting on us in Heaven has been full of hurt, pain, sadness, lots of tears, and prayers. But through connecting with Ashley, learning about Bridget’s Cradles after our story being told while Josh was on The Voice, we have seen the joy in tragedy.
We have made new friends and prayer partners with Ashley and the volunteers of Bridget’s Cradles. We have had the opportunity to tell people about the hope we have that isn't of this world.
Josh Sanders: [00:10:09] We're also beginning to see the legacy of Leelynd's life unfolding each and every day. And while we wish so badly that he was here with us to celebrate and watch him grow, we're seeing now that God's purpose for Leelynd's life is and was greater than we could have ever imagined.
Kendra Sanders: [00:10:28] Before I close tonight, I would like to encourage you as we are gathered together to not only grieve our babies that have only beat us home, but my prayer, and I believe Ashley and her team would stand with me in this, is that tonight is also about celebrating our babies, their lives that were created for a purpose and with a purpose.
As we move into a time of worship, we pray that everyone here this evening can feel the hope of Heaven reaching down, holding onto your hearts and giving you a peace that passes all understanding.
Josh Sanders: [00:11:05] Hello everyone. Again, I'm Josh Sanders. It's a real privilege to be here tonight and I just want you to feel freedom here in the next few moments that we have together, and freedom in worship and gratitude and praise. And I know it's a little chilly and the wind's blowing, but thank God it's died down. Amen. I don't think that's a coincidence.
But I would like to ask if any of you are willing or able and would like to participate or join in on this worship time that we're going to have together. I'd love to invite you to stand and participate. But again, of course, don't feel any pressure at all. And if anything, just let me sing over your hearts tonight.
Josh Sanders: [00:12:00]
Lyrics to Hymn of Heaven by Phil Wickham:
“How I long to breathe the air of Heaven
Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets
To look upon the One who bled to save me
And walk with Him for all eternity.
There will be a day when all will bow before Him.
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with the One who died and rose again.
Holy, holy is the Lord.
And every prayer we pray in desperation
Songs of faith we sing through doubt and fear
And in the end, we'll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears
Oh, and there will be a day when all will bow before Him.
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with the One who died and rose again.
Holy, holy is the Lord.
And on the day we join the resurrection and stand beside the heroes of the faith
With one voice, a thousand generations, we'll sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”,
Stand beside the heroes of the faith, oh with one voice, a thousand generations,
We’ll sing, “Worthy,” sing, “Worthy,” Oh, we'll sing, “Worthy,”
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Forever He shall reign.”
So let it be today we shout the hymn of Heaven
With angels and saints we raise a mighty roar
Glory to our God, who gave us life beyond the grave.
Holy, holy is the Lord.
So let it be today we shout the hymn of Heaven
The angels and the saints, we raise a mighty roar
Glory to our God, who gave us life beyond the grave.
Oh, we sing, “Holy, holy is the Lord.”
We sing, “Holy, holy is the Lord.”
We sing, “Holy, holy is the Lord.”
Lyrics to Homecoming by Cory Asbury:
Lord, I confess that I've been a criminal
Stolen Your breath oh, and I've sang my own song
Lord, I confess that I'm far from innocent.
The shackles I wear, Lord, I bought on my own.
Scarlet sin had a crimson cost. Scarlet sins had a crimson cost
You nailed my debt to that old rugged cross
An empty slate at the empty grave
Thank God that stone was rolled away.
Lord, I confess, oh, that I've been a prodigal
Made for Your house
But I walked my own roads
Oh, but then Jesus came and He tore down my prison walls
And death came to life when He called me by name.
And scarlet sins had a crimson cost
You nailed my debt to that old rugged cross
An empty slate at the empty grave
Thank God that stone was rolled
Scarlet sins, oh, crimson cost,
At the empty grave
Thank God that stone was rolled away.
Oh, I can see it now. Smiling in Heaven. You and I, You and I.
I see bright crimson robes draped over the ashes
A wide-open tomb where there should be a casket
The children are singing and dancing and laughing
Father is welcoming, this is our homecoming.
Roses in bloom, pushed up from the embers.
Rivers of tears flow from good time remembered.
Families are singing, dancing and laughing.
The Father is welcoming, this is our homecoming.
Heaven joins in with the glorious sound.
And the great cloud of witnesses all gather ‘round
‘Cause the one the devil lost, thank God that they're found
The Father is welcoming, this is our homecoming
Scarlet sins had a crimson cost
You nailed my debt to that old rugged cross
An empty slate at the empty grave
Thank God that stone was rolled away.
We sing, whoa, “Praise Your name. You are holy.
Oh Lord, You are worthy, worthy of all of our praise.” Amen.
Josh Sanders: [00:21:41] Take it back just for a moment. I remember singing the song, just a young man with my grandmother. She and I would stand by the piano and I think she was just starting to realize that maybe I had an interest in music, and more than that, the Lord's message through song.
I want to implore and encourage you to sing along or at least let the song be sung over you in a way that would maybe, I don't know about you, but for me, tear back the calluses on your hearts that only the world can put there. Funny thing is that we're the ones that are ultimately allowed the free will and the choice to praise or not. So hopefully this song blesses you like it has me over all these years.
Josh Sanders: [00:23:04]
Lyrics to Amazing Grace:
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved
How precious did His grace appear the hour that I first believed.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,
we’ve no less days to sing God's grace than when we’ve first begun, than when we’ve first begun. Oh.
Want every voice.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, thank God I'm found, was blind, but now I see
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved this old wretch like me
I once was so lost, thank God I'm found, was blind, but now I see.
I was blind, but now I see. How I see You now.”
Josh Sanders: [00:26:47] Thank you guys so much for taking part in that. So if you don't mind, I'd like to take a moment, first and foremost, just to thank Ashley, her family, her whole team, this entire community that's all wrapped up in this beautiful organization called Bridget’s Cradles. Whether you're someone who's given in or someone who's been given to, truly, it's really an honor to be out here tonight.
And I do want to share something with you real quick, if I may. Bridget’s Cradles helps families like my family each and every single day. Just by talking to Ashley a little bit, I've been able to realize that it's much bigger than even I thought.
You see, each week, Bridget’s Cradles ships boxes of cradles from their headquarters, out of, I don't want to get this wrong, but is it Ketchy? Did I get that right? Keetchy? Ketchi. You'll have to excuse, I just blame it on the South mouth, okay? I'm from the Southeast. But they’re shipped right out of here and to hospitals all over the country, right? And I'm pretty sure, Ashley shared with me the other day that those folks have been able to put out almost a quarter million cradles since they started. I mean, that's something to be celebrated.
And my wife and I and little Leelynd was one of those recipients, but they are currently comforting right now over 30,000 families a year in 1,500 hospitals in all 50 states. And the cradles provide a sacred place to hold babies born into the second trimester of pregnancy.
In addition to Bridget’s Cradles though, the hope-filled resources and support groups help bereaved families long after they leave the hospital, by the way. Okay? And that's something I didn't know. And it's enough to provide this wonderful gift to these families who are in a situation that they never dreamed they would ever be in, but these guys see it through. Right?
When you go the extra mile, the road's not crowded. Amen. And they get it. But Bridget’s Cradles, guys, I know from being in ministry myself and having a dad that was a pastor, it truly does take a village, right? It takes a community. And these folks, exhausting their efforts and their hours and their time to be the hands and feet of Jesus, even they need help, right? Even they need assistance.
And so, while you may be like me and there's no way if you threw yarn and stuff at me that I'm gonna be able to make anything beautiful out of it, maybe that's you too, but maybe monetarily you could give. Or maybe you could plug in and see if there's a way that you could volunteer your time, but I'm sure that they would welcome it with open arms, ‘cause again, these people truly have a heart to serve the Lord. And it's obvious that they are answering that calling and more.
But, with that being said, again, Bridget’s Cradles cannot do this without the support of generous people like yourselves and those abroad. As part of October, this being the month for Infant Loss Awareness, they are hosting a very special fundraiser that you can take part in tonight called Shine Their Light.
In memory of our babies who are now in Heaven, we want to encourage you to give the gift of comfort to other grieving families by supporting the mission of Bridget’s Cradles.
And so by October 31st, their goal is to raise $75,000 in order to provide comfort, hope and healing to all these families in Wichita and and not just here but all over the United States.
And so, as this morning, I believe they've raised a total of $43,000?
Ashley Opliger: [00:31:33] $43,000.
Josh Sanders: [00:31:33] $43,000. Okay. So you guys, there's a nice jump going on there. Okay? But here's the thing: Tonight we all have an opportunity, right? A really special opportunity that I believe in my heart that if we all come together and use what we can, just like I tell my folks back home at the church I pastor, I always tell them when it comes time to give their tithe and offerings, I tell them, “Listen, I will never ask you to give a certain amount or do a certain thing, but I will ask you to pray during that time and genuinely ask and seek the Lord's direction on that, and then just simply do what He asks you to do, not what you may feel pressured to do or what you can't do.”
But guys the bottom line is we're blessed, right? I look around and I see families and this entire thing, right? We are blessed and I do feel like if we come together as one and try to see this thing through, that we could really make a huge impact, especially for those that are grieving, but also for those who are celebrating the lives of those that they've lost tonight.
So for a donation of $25, guys, you can sponsor a pillar candle and help us fill the wall with 72 candles to illuminate the night in memory of all these wonderful babies that have made it home to Heaven. And if we fill up all six shelves, it's my understanding if we can do that with all these candles that are available tonight, but guys, if we could just fill up six shelves with these candles tonight, we will have raised a total of $1,800.
And every gift makes a difference. The candles are, by the way, for sponsorship only. And so they're not necessarily to keep, but that's so that every dollar can be used to bless even more families, right? But I'd love for all those shelves to be completely full, and ultimately be shining a different kind of light, shining on that wall with your baby's names, by the way.
So when you do purchase that candle for that $25, guys, you’ve got to think, in our day and time, that's really, what is that a trip to? Yeah. I mean, you can't even go to God's Chicken for that, right? So maybe a coffee trip or something. I don't know, but just think about it, pray about it. And I promise you, I know enough about these folks in this organization, your dollar will be well spent. It will be in good hands and it will be used for the glory of God.
And so I'll be back after we do our water lantern release here in a little bit to sing one final song that's very special to my heart. But for now, I want to welcome Bridget's Mom and the founder of Bridget’s Cradles. Ashley Opliger, to the stage. Come on. Let's make her welcome. This is the lady that makes it all happen right here. Thank you so much, guys.
Ashley Opliger: [00:34:43] Thank you. All right. Welcome to Wave of Light 2024. I apologize about the Kansas weather. We were all hoping that we could have a nice day like we had this weekend, but Kansas had other plans.
Okay, so I want to first thank several people for making this event happen. We have so many volunteers that put in many days of work to put all of this together, and many different companies and churches that sponsor the event not just with their money, but with in-kind donations and decorations and power, the generators, all of those things.
I want to thank our presenting sponsor, which is Ascension Via Christi this year. We're very blessed to have them, $5,000 toward putting this event on. Like I said, there are so many different companies and churches that are part of this. And if you get a chance tonight when we're on our Hope Walk, we have a banner lit up with all of the logos of everyone who sponsored; also on the back of our shirts and in your programs, we have all of those logos. And so take a look at that just to think about all of these places that really do care about grieving families and pregnancy and infant loss.
So, as Josh mentioned, we have the Shine Their Light fundraiser going on and we are about at 56% of our goal. We've raised $43,000. As he was saying, this money is not going to Bridget’s Cradles. This money is going through Bridget’s Cradles to comfort families just like you. And we really want to shine a light in the darkness of grief.
So, as this fundraiser has been going on, we have had many families fundraising in memory of their babies, and I want to thank the families that have sponsored and donated over $2,000.
The first family I want to acknowledge is the family of Eva Grace and her siblings in Heaven. You can see the photo of their family there. They donated $2,900 toward this fundraiser, and so I'm going to read some notes from Steve and Hillary.
“Steve and I are so thankful for Bridget’s Cradles ministry and this Wave of Light event. We are parents to four precious babies, all born into Heaven at different times, and none on earth. At our first Wave of Light, we got to hear our daughter, Eva Grace, and her siblings’ names read aloud for the very first time. To hear our children's names spoken in that way honored them and their places in our family.
To know that every child born in Heaven, no matter how young or early in our pregnancies is formed by God, dearly loved and remembered, was the truth our grieving hearts needed to hear. The healing that moment brought was powerful, and something changed in me and us that night. Hope returned.
That hope and support gave us the strength to speak of our children openly with others and continue the journey through our grief in the often-lonely heartache of living without them here.
From then on, we knew we wanted to support this event in ministry so they could continue to bring hope and healing to other heartbroken and grieving families. Since that first Wave of Light, we had the heartbreak of losing our fourth baby in February of 2021.
Then last year, we suddenly lost my beautiful Mom and best friend, Becky Price. Our hearts are so broken, but because we grieve with hope, we know my Mom is in Heaven, getting to hold all four of our babies and be a gammy to each of them. They're loving each other in the presence of Jesus until we are all reunited. It's that hope that keeps us going each day as we wait.”
And there's a picture of their family with Becky in the photo. And so we wanted to honor them and thank them for all they've done for Bridget’s Cradles in memory of Eva Grace and siblings in Heaven.
I also want to thank Gabriel and Louisa Markley in memory of their Markley babies. They donated $2,500.
And then Jake and Casey Segrist, who are dear friends of mine and Board members of Bridget’s Cradles, in memory of Jack Monroe Siegrist, they raised over $8,000. They're amazing. They do that every year.
Now for the hard part. Lastly, I want to thank my own family and friends for helping me raise over $10,000 in memory of my daughter, Bridget Faith Opliger, and my Dad, Steven Richard Golik. For those of you who don't know, my father was killed by a drunk driver two-and-a-half months ago on a street not too far from here. He was out on an evening motorcycle ride when a drunk driver hit him and left him at the scene.
A Good Samaritan stopped and performed CPR and allowed him to make it to the hospital. where he lived for a week. He took his final breath surrounded by my loving family and I. He entered into Heaven, where he was instantly reunited with Bridget and looked into her eyes for the first time.
In a week from today, it will be Bridget's 10th Heavenly birthday. I'll never forget the day she was born and how my Dad was there to comfort me and hold his granddaughter. We have photos on the wall. He was so in love with her and so heartbroken over her passing.
My Dad was always a big part of Wave of Light. Every year he would drive his truck around to pull the trailer that holds all of the light clusters that you see tonight. So tonight I am honoring him with a row of blue lights on Beech Lake on this side, a lake I have fond childhood memories with him.
My Dad spent his entire career working at Beechcraft, now Textron. He's worked there for 36-and-a-half years. And we came out here and went fishing and played at the playgrounds over there as a child. And then, obviously, I have many memories of him here, helping at Wave of Light.
I know he would have loved to be here tonight. He definitely would have complained about the wind and the weather, just like I am. But he would have loved to hear Josh play, because my Dad was a very talented, self-taught guitarist and music was very therapeutic to him.
In his grief over Bridget, he composed a song for her that he titled Bridget's Ballad, and I would love to honor him tonight by letting you hear the song that he wrote for Bridget.
Steve Golik: [00:41:26] This little piece of music is called Bridget's Ballad. Hope you like it.
[Steve Golik's Bridget Ballad plays]
Ashley Opliger: [00:44:16] Though he passed away in such a senseless and sudden way, I take great comfort in knowing he is now with Jesus, holding his granddaughter Bridget, and together they are watching the lights here at Wave of Light from Heaven above.
Tonight you heard Josh sing three songs about Heaven and he will sing one more at the end of the night.
Why are we focusing so much on Heaven? Because Heaven is our hope. It is our future home and it's where our babies live right now. Though death has separated us from them temporarily, we will see them again. This is not the end.
The other day I was crying at my Dad's grave. I was hunched over on my knees with my hands on the earth and salty tears dropping onto the dirt onto the fresh grave beneath me. As I lay there in anguish, the Holy Spirit comforted me with this thought: One day, this will be no more. Death, dying, crying, pain, all of it will be gone forever. One day at the Resurrection, his and Bridget's graves will be empty. This will all be a distant memory.
Just like the lyrics in Amazing Grace, there will be a time when it's been 10,000 years since the last time we cried. We will be in Heaven with our babies and families rejoicing, singing, dancing and laughing, and our earthly pain and sorrow and suffering will pale in the light of eternity.
The tears you cried in the hospital room on the day your baby went to Heaven will have been long wiped away. The tears you cried alone in your bedroom for weeks, months, maybe even years after your baby passed away, they will all be wiped away. Yes, even the tears you cry tonight. God sees them, He collects them and He will wipe them all away.
I know the hardest part is the waiting. We just want to be with our babies again. We want to see our loved ones. We rage at death and the separation that has caused. But friends, let me encourage you that we are only temporary residents of this earth. This world is not our permanent home.
The Apostle Paul told us that our citizenship is in Heaven, and the author of Hebrews says we are longing for a better country, a Heavenly one. I don't know about you, but I am homesick for Heaven. I am growing weary of living in this dark and broken world.
But let me assure you, for those who believe in Jesus Christ, there is light at the end of this dark tunnel that we call earth. We know how this story ends and we know where it ends and it ends in Heaven.
Can you imagine a place without sin and death? There will be no hospitals in Heaven. There will be no ambulances or ERs. There will be no diagnoses, disabilities, illnesses, or infections. There will be no morgues, funeral homes, or cemeteries in Heaven.
We will never again attend a memorial service or burial. We will never again have to plan a Wave of Light event. We will never see another urn, casket, grave, or headstone. We will never have to read or write an obituary. We will finally say goodbye to death and every awful memory associated with it.
All of these former things will have passed away, according to Revelation 21. Does this sound too good to be true? The last verse on the screen says, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
So as time keeps on passing since the last day you carried your baby in your womb or held them in your arms, or the last time you heard your child's or loved one's voice, I want to remind you of an important truth. Each day further from their death is one day closer to being with them again.
10 years after Bridget's death, I am now focused on looking forward to the thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of years I'll spend with her in Heaven rather than looking back on the 24 weeks and five days I had with her on earth.
I don't know which will happen first, if I will take my last breath or Jesus will come back, which is a real possibility here soon. But either way, I will be reunited with her. And if you believe in Jesus, you will be reunited with your babies too. Friends, we are so close. Heaven is near. It is right above us.
Jesus is coming back to make all things right and to defeat death forever. He will roll the sky back as a scroll and every eye will see Him, and we will no longer be homesick because we will finally be home. So take heart. You are one day closer. Jesus is on His way. Soon and very soon you will be home with your baby and your loved ones.
So tonight, let's celebrate that hope, the hope of Heaven through faith in Jesus, as we walk through these lights together. Thank you.
Ashley Opliger: [00:49:56] At this point in the event, we do our Hope Walk, which is when we listen to the song, I Will Carry You, and we walk through rows of 50,000 pink, blue and white lights with our candles on, shining toward Heaven.
Afterwards, we head down to the lake to release our water lanterns while listening to our babies’ names read one by one. So, now you will hear the reading of the names from the event. These names are the babies represented at the event who either registered, attended, or sponsored the event. I want to thank Scott Evans for doing the recording of the reading of the names for this podcast episode. Let's listen now.
Scott Evans: [00:50:29]
Abundynce Faith Thomas
Joyana Reign Thomas
Ada Grace Schuette
Adalee Elizabeth Keesling
Shiloh Keesling
Adelaide Clara Elenbaas
Aiden Blade Chandler
3 Chandler Babies "Our Shooting Stars"
Alan Monroe Tregoning
Andrew Jaax
Jaax Babies
Anita Kay Manning
Annabelle Ruby Willis
Sarah Evelyn Willis
AnnaJoy Lindsey
Archer Jackson McEntire
Ashleigh Jade Higgins
Ashlynn Marie Akin
Aster, Lilly, Michaelma, Sweet Pea, Daisy, Violet, Glory, Marigold, & Lark
Audrey Elizabeth Kalbach
Lucy Thérèse Kalbach
August Alexander King
Austin Doornbos
Avery Walton
Babies of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cheney
Baby Atkinson
Baby Blaha
Baby Burgardt
Baby Heimerman
Baby Hernandez
Baby Hutchinson
Baby J Healey
Baby Mayers
Baby Mine
Baby Norton
Baby Torres Jaime
Baby Truby
Baby Z & Angel
Banks Clifford Corwin
Beanie Ivey & Baby Ivey
Bennett & Presley Farney
Bennett Paden
Briceno Babies
Bridget Faith Opliger
Brooklyn Donyelle Chilcott
Callan William Schillo
Carrion & Louis Jones
Casey Allan Hawkins
Casey Lee Hawkins
Chance & Lane Casey
Charles Michael Johnson III
Charlie Lopez
Charlotte Mae Lehecka
Christopher Aaron Kolko
Cooper Dean Anderson & Siblings in Heaven
Cora, Grace & Jack Droegemeier
Cramer Babies
David Bruce Crone
David "DJ" Morris Jr.
Daxton Titus
Declan Conrad Misak & his 7 Siblings in Heaven
Declan John Dougherty
Dexter Mehle Burnham
Edin Graber
Elijah James Schriemer
Ellowyn Grace Marie Singer
Zoey Mae Singer
Emma Muriel Olson
Emory Nicole Lomeli
Esmeralda Paz-Mendez
Esperanza Amor & Julian J
Ethan Harrop Fish & Hayley Cullen Fish
Eva Grace Price-Coulter & her 3 siblings in Heaven
Gabriel Mason Broderick
Georgia Grace Hummel & Siblings in Heaven
Gracie Mae Perry
McKayla Dawn Perry
Hadley Jo Roy
Harrison Clark & Baby Clark
Hayden August Turner
Hope & Teddy Balint
Hudson Dix
Imais King Owens
Irona Mikelle Cliver "Baby Mickey"
Isaiah & Ari Roman
Ivy Cody
Jack Monroe Siegrist
Jackson Ronald Dawkins
Jailyn Noelle Faith Green
Nalani Alexis Green
James Parker Kaiser V
Jensen Brooks Tortella
Jarod, Aaron, Ethan & Abigail Schwarz
John Hunter
Sammy Jean
Jonathan J. Musa-Parramore
Jordan and Jacob Kittle
Judah, Talitha, Gideon, Asrael & Eden Nemitz
Jude Mark Gudenkauf
Kassica Ashley Harp
Angel Baby Kramer
Kayden Riley Evans
Keenan Luis Montez
Kyler George Bahr
Lainey Lynn Olguin
Lane Tucker Burns
Burns Babies
Lark May Brazil
Leah Renee Dechant
Lee Kessler
Angel Kessler
Hope Kessler
Leelynd Thomas Sanders
Lottie Sandusky
Micah Sandusky
Luca Ortega
Lucas Arie
Lucia Blahuta
Lula Mae Gust & Baby Boy Gust
Lucy Dugan
Thomas Dugan
Mackenzly Rose Lohmeyer
Mailani Reese
Markley Babies
Martha Olivia Quezada
Mary-Anne Amelia Rittel
McKenzie Noel and
Little Ladwig
Mia Violet Heilman
Molly, Ava, Martha, John, & Zelie Mersmann
Natalie Ann Rader
Nate Sumit Kandpal
Noah Allen Schneider
Nolan Bryce Holverson
Nora & Wren Jones
Ocean Bogk
Oliver Thomas Brown
Parker Jamison Reyes
Phoenix Shove
Phoenix Von Schriever and Baby Schriever
Poppy
Presley Grace Schmitt
Quinton Nicholson
Rayce Koob
Krew Archer Koob
Shane Austin Harris
Reid Maxwell Whitfield
Baby Whitfield 1, 2, 3, 4
Rhoan Osborne Bailey
Richard and John Kinya Little
Angel Lillyanne
Angel Hope
Angel Serenity
Riley, Reagan, and Maverick Lee Hanson
Rylan Michael Crawford
Salem Ann Lux Williams
Samuel Cole Wimmer
Sawyer Colton Ebel & Sutton Levi Ebel
Shawn Leslie
Shyenne Rose Posch
Sky & Star March
Sloan Carolina Estes
Sloane Eloise Steinhilpert
Sophie Christine Hanson
Spencer Neil Vetter
Grady Grant Vetter
Talia Weaver
Taylor Anne Childs
Taylor & Alicia Williams
The Burrus Babies
The Husni Babies
The Kelley Babies
Theodore Bear McBratney
Theodore “Teddy” Laurence Roe
Thomas Stephen Ondrovich
Timber Kai Pavlacka
Trujillo
Vince Cruze Garcia
Josh Sanders: [01:01:39] Thank you so much for, again, just sticking around and for those of you that could, I'm gonna do this one last song that, after speaking to Ashley, I know it's one that she's familiar with and I think really is one that she enjoys and that's helped heal her heart as well.
And I'll put it like this and we'll go ahead and jump into the song, but back home pastoring, just talking to other pastors and and just folks, it's like the older I get, I get it now.
It's like the thought of Heaven is so much sweeter, just because we don't belong here. Like Ashley was saying, we're just pilgrims passing through. But I want to leave you with this. I had a pastor buddy of mine pour into me once. He said, “You know, getting to Heaven, while it takes participation on your part and you must believe in your heart, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, but what do we do after that?”
And it's like, well, God's original design was to expand Heaven, right? And that's why we were here, until the Fall, and everything kind of came apart. But thank God He sent His Son to reconcile and fix what we broke. And even in that, He still loves us.
And so I'll put it this way: Getting to Heaven's the easy part, but what about trying to bring a little bit of Heaven to earth?
And so that's my prayer, as we enter into this next song, is that we would experience the presence of God here in a way that He intended to from the beginning. And so this song's called Heaven's All Around. I hope it blesses your heart.
Josh Sanders: [01:03:24]
Lyrics to Heaven’s All Around by Life.Church:
“You opened my eyes to the unseen.
Once I was blind over, oh but now I believe
You tore down those walls that kept us apart.
It seemed like the end. It was only the start.
Heaven's all around, Heaven's all around, Jesus is near.
I can see it now, I can see it now, Your Kingdom is here.
Heaven's all around, Heaven's all around, Jesus is near.
I can see it now, I can see it now, Your Kingdom, it's here.
Listen.
All that we've seen, there’s still more to come.
We know You'll finish what You’ve begun.
The battles may rage, Lord, but we will not fear.
‘Cause we know our victory is standing right here. Yeah,
Heaven's all around, Heaven's all around, Jesus is near.
I can see it now, I can see it now, Your Kingdom is here, yeah.
Heaven's all around, Heaven's all around, Jesus is near.
I can see it now, I can see it now, Your Kingdom is here. Mmmm.
Come move in this place, and God move on Your people.
Come and do how You want to.
Come and make the old brand new.
Come and move how You want to, Lord.
Do what only You can do.
Come and move how You want to., the old brand new.
Come and move how You want to.
Do what only You can. Come on.
Come and move how You want to.
Come and make the old brand new.
Come and move how You want to, Lord.
Do what only You can do.
So come and move how You want to.
Come and make the old brand new
Come and move how You want to, Lord
Do what only You can do.
Oh, Heaven's all around, Heaven's all around, Jesus is near.
I can see it now, I can see it now, Your Kingdom is here.
Heaven's all around, Heaven's all around, Jesus is near.
I can see it now, I can see it now. Oh, it's Your Kingdom. Oh.
Move like You want to. Come and make the old brand new.
Come and move like You want to, Lord.
Do what only You can do.
Come and move like You want to. Do what only You can do.
Come and move like You want to. Do what only You can do.”
Josh Sanders: [01:07:42] Amen. Awesome. Thank you guys so much for just participating in that worship. And it's been such a wonderful time. And I pray that you guys would have a wonderful week, but more than that, just a wonderful life full of joy and peace and happiness and fulfillment that only He can give. Amen. Hey, thank you guys. God bless y'all.
Ashley Opliger: [01:08:07] Thank you all for listening to this special bonus episode for Wave of Light 2024. I pray that it brought you hope and comfort. I want to thank our sponsors one more time for their generous support in making Wave of Light truly a beautiful night of remembrance. Thank you all for listening to this episode. God bless you, and see you next year on October 15th, 2025.
Ashley Opliger: [01:08:30] Thank you for listening to the Cradled in Hope Podcast. We pray that you found hope & healing in today’s episode.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes when they release on the 1st of every month. You can also find this episode’s show notes and a full transcript on our website at bridgetscradles.com/podcast.
Be sure to leave your email address so that we can keep you updated on podcast episodes, upcoming support groups, and other hope-filled resources.
If you’re interested in volunteering or donating to Bridget’s Cradles in memory of a baby in Heaven, you can find information on our website on how you can get involved and spread hope to other grieving families.
One way you can help is by leaving a review of this podcast on iTunes [or the Apple Podcasts app]. Consider the minute of your time as a way YOU can personally share the hope that you’ve found here with another mom whose heart is broken and needs healing.
Thank you so much for listening and sharing. Until next time, we will be praying for you. And remember, as Jesus cradles our babies in Heaven, He cradles us in hope. Though we may grieve, we do not grieve without hope. Thank you so much for listening.
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