THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS

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 of the bereaved 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.

OUR NEXT MEETING

Monday, January 9, 2012 at 7:00 PM. New Members Come at 6:45 PM.

We meet at East Jefferson Hospital, in the Esplanade 2 Room.

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.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

February 13, 2012

March 12, 2012

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 SEASONED 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."

WORLD WIDE CANDLE LIGHTING

December 11, 2011

Please mark you calendar for our annual candle lighting event.

For more information please see our event page.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR MAKE OUR 6TH ANNUAL MEMORIAL WALK A WONDERFUL EVENT.

The Mourners Bill Of Rights

1. You have the right to experience your own unique grief.

2. You have the right to talk about your grief.

3. You have the right to feel a multitude of emotions.

4. You have the right to be tolerant of your physical and emotional limits.

5. You have the right to experience " grief bursts"

6. You have the right to make use of ritual.

7. You have the right to make use of Spirituality.

8. You have the right to search for meaning.

9. You have the right to treasure your memories.

10. You have the right to move toward your grief and heal.

"I can only bite off chunks of grief in bits and pieces. How else would I manage to get out of bed?" ~Desire' Aguirre

As with a four-course dinner, we must take our grief in small bites. The totality of our loss, the shattering of our psyche and the　horrific blow to our brains is just too much to　absorb at one time.　 Shock is nature's cushion.　　When shock subsides, our reality is a physical　pain, an ache from deep inside that radiates　throughout　our bodies.　 Once this subsides, we endure the emotional agony and the kick in the gut that comes　unannounced.

　 This quotation is very profound for both the newly bereaved and those of us who are much farther down the road of grief.　 The loss of our child will be the single most defining factor in our lives.　 However, if we　do our grief work and all that this entails, we will eventually arrive　at something akin to a new normal.　　Life will never be the same.　 We will never be the same.　 But we carry our children forward with us in our hearts and minds, imagining all that could have been and accepting that these things are no longer meant to be.

　 I have managed to find a serenity and a purpose in my life, yet the thrill of living is not the peaks, the sadness is not the valleys.　 Life now is "steady as you go."　 My compassion for others is almost automatic now, my understanding of the macro perspective of life is deeper and wider than ever before.　 I acknowledge that there is much to be learned on this journey.　 But it is a painful education.

　
Annette Mennen Baldwin

In memory of my son, Todd Mennen

TCF, Katy, TX

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

This site was created by Denise in loving memory of her son, Nicholas
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