Message for the Week ─ Getting Through the First Year of Grieving

Initially, I wanted to reach out for help for myself when I found myself reaching out to help other people. After my son Christopher's death I faced obstacles and challenges beyond belief. I would think about my son and how he must have felt when he had troubling thoughts on his mind, and couldn't explain what he was going through. On the day that he died I thought to myself, "What didn't I say that could have made a difference?" That was my starting point and I made a promise to myself that I would try to be open and truthful. For almost a year, I would send text messages via my cell phone, once a week to family members and friends with a little something to keep them going and to let them know that life isn't so bad. Ironically as I pursued this mission of helping others through God's word, I felt enormous healing myself. I received a lot of great reviews and compliments in return. But more importantly, reaching out to others in my worst time of trouble helped me to heal and understand that I did not grieve alone.