No images? Click here Dear FriendWe are approaching that time of year when people all over the world celebrate Christmas. Traditionally families gather together for their celebrations, though last year this wasn’t possible and it’s not yet clear whether it will be in 2021. As bereaved parents, the thought of Christmas can fill us with dread – how can we face a family time, with part of the family missing? In this newsletter, we reflect on our own experience of the winter season and how it helped us learn about the painful journey of grief. We offer some suggestions for how to negotiate Christmas and New Year, with personal and practical ideas from members of the befriending team past and present. You can find other articles about Christmas on the bereavement blog. We are pleased to be able to continue to offer online support through our day events for both bereaved parents and adult siblings. Booking for our first spring online event is now available. We hope to offer some in person events alongside online ones in 2022. With our love Dave and Jane Park Email us at daveandjane@cff.org.uk Happy New Year - really?Jane reflects on the difficulty of facing a new year without your child. Surviving the winter of griefWinter is a difficult time, but it is just a season. David looks at some of the common ways of considering grief from his personal experience. Coping with ChristmasThis article includes suggestions for things to avoid, change or include as we think about Christmas without our child. Walks for bereaved menWe continue to offer our walks for bereaved men through the winter and into the spring. A time for men to walk and talk in the British countryside. Events for bereaved parents and adult siblings in 2022Our support events are wonderful opportunities to meet and share with others in an atmosphere of understanding. Many people are finding our online support events for bereaved parents and bereaved adult siblings really helpful. Our next one for parents is on 12 March 2022 and for adult bereaved siblings on 14 May 2022. Why not find out more and consider joining us? Bereaved Parent Support from Care for the FamilyWe hope you have found this newsletter helpful. There are more articles and other useful links on our website. |