Last week I was the guest of the group MOM’S FOREVER, a
bereaved mothers group in Montreal ,
Canada
None of us had any way of knowing what a great turnout we
would have…over 160 people, mostly bereaved mothers and fathers. There was one
or two who had lost their spouse and even a couple of people who weren’t
bereaved at all. They just wanted to hear what I had to say so that they would
know how to act and react to those who had lost a child, as one woman said to
me as she bought my two books. She looked a little embarrassed to tell me she
wasn’t bereaved, but I told her I wished there were more people in this world
who cared as much as she did to do the correct thing with bereaved parents.
Bravo to her.
After giving my speech sharing coping techniques, teaching
others about our grief, pointers for the newly bereaved, pointers for those who
were 5 and 10 years out and even those over 10 years, giving examples from my
life and others, and going through the grief process, many told me afterwards
they had learned a lot and thanked me. It was heartwarming to know that my trip
had been worthwhile, and I sold many, many of my books to those who attended.
The Moms Forever group of 8 women had done a great job
planning this and carrying it off. They had no idea how many people would show
up but did a lot of publicity to make it happen. They were a friendly,
exuberant, classy group of ladies, and you would never know each of them had a
different story about what had happened to their child and how they were moving
on with or without their spouse. I really commend them for their outlook on
life. Sure, they had their moments just like we all do, but they understand
clearly that time, hope and a willingness to want to find joy again is their
goal.
