Grief support after the death of a child
The mission of
The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive
resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to
provide information to help others be supportive.
The Compassionate Friends is a national nonprofit, self-help support
organization that offers friendship, understanding, and hope to bereaved
parents, grandparents and siblings. There is no religious affiliation
and there are no membership dues or fees.
The secret of
TCF's success is simple: As seasoned grievers reach out to the newly
bereaved, energy that has been directed inward begins to flow outward
and both are helped to heal. The vision of The Compassionate Friends is
that everyone who needs us will find us and everyone who find us will be
helped.
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 "Love
is a fabric that never fades, no matter how often it is washed
in the waters of adversity and grief". -- Anon.
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Remember how I laughed,
Remember how I loved.
Use me as the reason you embrace life,
Not the reason you don't.
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OUR NEXT MEETING |
UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Monday, February 8, 2010
at 7:00 PM,
We will meet at East Jefferson Hospital, in the Esplanade 2 Room.
New Members Come at 6:45 PM.
The meeting begins with a short
introduction followed by the lighting of our candle and then
reading the Credo. This is followed by reading the names of our
children with birthdays this month. Each member is invited to
introduce themselves and their forever child. We divide into our smaller sharing
groups.
The closing of our meeting begins by
joining hands and forming a circle, remembering our child and
saying their name.
After the closing, please feel free to
visit our resource table and lending library.
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Meetings:
March 8, 2010
April 12, 2010
May 10, 2010
June 14, 2010 |
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BUTTERFLY RELEASE
We will be
holding our 12th Annual Butterfly Release
April 18, 2010.
Please see our event page for more information.
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To Our New Members
Coming to your first meeting is the one of the
hardest thing to do. But, having lost so much, you have nothing
to lose and much to gain. Please keep an open mind, we ask that
you try two to three meetings before deciding if TCF will work
for you or not.
To Our Old Members
We need your wisdom, support and hope. You are the glue that
unites our group. When new parents come to the their first
meeting it is important to see those further done the path that
are surviving, it gives all of us some hope for the future.
Remember what it was like to walk through those doors, there was
someone there to greet you and tell you "you are not alone" |
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To Our New Members
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To Our Old Members |
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Coming to your first meeting is the one of the
hardest thing to do. But, having lost so much, you have nothing
to lose and much to gain. Please keep an open mind, we ask that
you try two to three meetings before deciding if TCF will work
for you or not.
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We need your wisdom, support and hope. You are the glue that
unites our group. When new parents come to the their first
meeting it is important to see those further done the path that
are surviving, it gives all of us some hope for the future.
Remember what it was like to walk through those doors, there was
someone there to greet you and tell you "you are not alone"
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"What the caterpillar perceives as the end, to
the butterfly is just the beginning."
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A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam
And for a brief moment its glory
and beauty belong to our world
But then it flies again
And though we wish it could have stayed...
We feel lucky to have seen it.
Author Unknown |
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"Mourning is one
of the most profound human experiences that it is possible to have...
The deep capacity to weep for the loss of a loved one and to continue to
treasure the memory of that loss is one of our noblest human traits".--
Shneidman (1980)
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For those of you who are
hurting too deeply, whose pain is too fresh, whose child's death is
still too close to hear me, I'd like to give you the message "Hold
on, hold on tight." Right now for you, there seems to be
little sunshine, little hope and no energy to choose life. So
hang on tight.
And if you know someone who is
struggling just to hang on, reach out to them right now. Loan them
some of your strength, knowing they will loan you some of theirs when
you need it. That's what TCF is all about; helping each other
through the anger, the pain, the emptiness, the silence -- helping each
other rediscover life.
We have to learn to dream new
dreams and hope new hopes, and it is here with the love and support of
our new family of friends that our journey begins.
Author unknown
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Missing You
I just can't believe it...
The sun still rises and sets,
The moon and stars still shine,
The flowers still bloom,
The birds still sing.
I expected a change in everything.
I just can't believe it...
It still gets dark and light,
The ocean still has waves,
The rain still rains,
The wind still blows,
Is it because they do not know?
I just can't believe it...
I thought the world would stop
When in my house
I found an empty chair,
A missing smile.
I thought it would stop
For just a while.
I just can't believe it...
Gretta Viney ~ TCF, Yakima, WA
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THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS