Category: SOULS

“A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower. A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. But….there is no word for a parent who loses a child, that’s how awful the loss is” Neugeboren 1976

All bereaved parents want to remember and honour their children, but not everyone finds it possible to talk.   Talking can be too painful, too raw, and there is nothing anyone can do or say can that can take away the pain of losing a child.

Research has shown that doing a creative activity can put you at ease and can be a helpful way to communicate, especially if you find it difficult to explain how you are feeling or what you are going through.  It may also help to process traumatic experiences which are often stored non-verbally within the brain.

In our local area there are significant gaps in support networks for bereaved families and Milly’s Smiles would like to help with this.  We are inviting bereaved parents to come together on a monthly basis to meet other parents who understand the pain of grief in losing a child.

Being with other bereaved parents means we can talk to them and they fully understand how we are feeling, they don’t have to pretend or imagine, because they know!

This real support is wonderful, an invisible bond, a connection with people who have suffered the same loss. Just to be able to talk, cry, laugh or, just say nothing to someone who has been there, who knows what is going through your mind, who has walked in your shoes.

Our first meeting is on Sunday 28^th May, at Milly’s Smiles Unit, we are having a relaxed informal candle making afternoon, there is no charge and refreshments are provided.

We would love to meet you, please get in touch for further information and to book a place with us

In December we held a Christmas Wreath making afternoon especially for bereaved families.

Despite the awful weather almost everyone was able to make it.

It was a lovely afternoon spent with lovely people, from as far away as Darlington and Ashton-under-Lynn.

We received a lovely message from one of the families who came and I think this sums up the whole ethos of the day…

“Just a quick message to say a big thanks for yesterday. It meant a lot for all sorts of reasons but mostly because of spending time with people who just understand how things are without any need for explanation at all. Being creative & productive was an absolute joy as well”