For those with no surviving children, the best thing
you can do for yourself is to attend the “In Loving Memory” conference April
7-10, 2016, in Fairfax, Virginia at the Hyatt Fair Lakes in Fairfax.
All workshops, sharing sessions, activities and
keynote speakers will address the unique needs of now childless parents.
Professionals and friends are welcome to attend and learn how to assist this
unique group of bereaved parents. Remember, there are no chapters in each city
or state as there are for Compassionate Friends. This conference is associated with Alive
Alone, the national organization for childless parents, with a gathering held
every few years for these parents. For the three days of this conference, this is a great opportunity for those who
fit into this category to get as much information as possible from workshops, sharing sessions and speakers to help you move on with your life. And you will learn more about Alive Alone and how it assists in resolving grief and how to reinvest your life for a positive future through the newsletter, published five times a year.
Registration is $75 until Feb. 27. After that date
it is $90. The hotel rate is $89 per night until March 24. Make a reservation
by calling 1-800-421-1442. You can register for the conference online or send a
request to the email below. There is other valuable information on the
registration form.
There will be two keynote speakers; Gam and Becky
Greer and John and Rose Stanley. The Greers, from London, KY, lost four children: Stephen in 1979, John
Michael, Todd and Kami in 1995. “Now my job is to try to find my way in a world
where my children are not and my grandchildren will never be. It is my desire
to honor God and my children and to help other bereaved parents by “showing
hope,” said Gam.
The Stanleys became very active in Compassionate
Friends on the local and national level after the death of their only child,
16-year-old Susan. They have presented workshops at TCF conferences as well as
In Loving Memory Conferences. John has held the positions of pastor, chaplain
and Minister-Visitation of the First Presbyterian Church in North Carolina.
Some of the workshop titles include: Creating New Rituals for Special Days, How Counseling Could Help, What Gives Me Purpose Now, Grief and Addiction, Handling My Child's Belongings,Intimacy and Grief, Legal Issues, Loss and Humor, Grief in the Workplace, Struggling to Reclaim My Faith, Suicide, Exercising and Eating Right, Death of a Troubled Child, and more. Informal sharing sessions and other activities will also be held.
Some of the workshop titles include: Creating New Rituals for Special Days, How Counseling Could Help, What Gives Me Purpose Now, Grief and Addiction, Handling My Child's Belongings,Intimacy and Grief, Legal Issues, Loss and Humor, Grief in the Workplace, Struggling to Reclaim My Faith, Suicide, Exercising and Eating Right, Death of a Troubled Child, and more. Informal sharing sessions and other activities will also be held.
I would encourage anyone who is now childless to go
to this conference. I did two national conferences for childless parents in
2004 and 2007 in Scottsdale, AZ, and believe there is no better place for you
to find what you need to begin or continue the healing process.
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