Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
VOLUME 26 , NO . 7 JULY 2017
Inside this issue:
Calendar and Contacts 2
Arlington Chapter 3
Fairfax Chapter 4
Leesburg Chapter 5
Prince William Chapter 6
Reston Chapter 7
Washington, DC Chapter 8
Resources 9
Our Children Remembered 10
Summertime
It sounds so easy. A soft, warm word —- time to run barefoot, time to leave windows open all night. Summertime. Somehow it seems, doesn’t it, that it’s especially meant for children. Children on beaches, children on swings, children in large pools, children in tiny tubs.
We who do not have all of our children with us may feel the summertime in two ways. One is to remember shared events and adventures - there were so many. Long rides in a hot car, a nap in the back seat. The famous question, “Are we there yet?” Everything from a heat rash to ice cream cones and sand castles.
For us, another way to feel summertime is the special emptiness brought about by children who are no longer on this earth. They used to trot along on hikes in the hills; they used to gather wood for an evening fire. Now summer brings us again the melancholy awareness of their absence. Have you ever walked on some unfamiliar path, surprised about not having been there with the children? Even when there’s nothing to remember, we are reminded of the children’s absence.
We have been diminished by death. Some of us may still have living children. Other parents have no children left. They have lost an only child, perhaps. Or all of their children died. And here we are, grateful for the warmth of summer mornings, aware of the ripe beauty of nature, trying to deal with our children’s absence with all the grace of which we are capable. Often we do not want to
burden others with our grief. Or we may be convinced that others don’t wish to share our distress. We have learned, after all, that the world around us is not always able to understand how we feel.
Besides, we were taught to be brave. Many of us will do everything we can to appear “normal” after our loss. But we were also taught to be honest. And when you feel the hurt, when you seem almost to be lost in the shadows of this golden summertime, don’t hide your sorrow. The grief of your spirit can perhaps be kept a secret on the outside. Yet, your deepest feelings, unexpressed, can burn into your existence with harmful force.
You can be both brave and honest. You know that it’s brave to share grief, be it old grief or new grief. And revealing that sorrow is also honest. Of course, nothing can wipe away much of your pain, but sharing grief is helpful. You will know that after you have expressed the painful sorrow you once kept hidden, and you find yourself, finally, smiling at the memories and the blessings of past summertimes.
~Sascha Wagner
Page 2 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Arlington Chapter Contact: Lois Copeland 301-520-0225 [email protected]
Please send “Love Gifts” to: Wayne Hubbard 23230 Linden Ct. Lexington Park, MD 20653
Trinity Presbyterian Church 5533 N.16th St Arlington, VA Second Thursdays 7:30 PM
Dulles Chapter Contact: Trish Stoskus [email protected] Chapter Phone: (703) 951-7509
Please send “Love Gifts” to: Tammy Fossett 22043 Hyde Park Dr Ashburn, VA 20147
St. David’s Episcopal Church 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy Ashburn, VA 20147-2903 Second Thursdays 7:00 PM
Fairfax Chapter Contact: Carol Marino [email protected] Chapter Phone: (703) 622-3639
Please send “Love Gifts” to: Monica Clark 5444 Ladue Lane Fairfax, VA 22030 Attn: TCF
Old St. Mary’s Hall next to St. Mary’s Historic Church and Cemetery Fairfax Station Rd and Route 123 Fairfax, VA 22030 First Wednesdays 7:30 PM
Leesburg Chapter Contact: Bev or Bernie Elero (540) 882-9707
Please send “Love Gifts” to: Debbie Plamondon 19979 Forest Hill Lane Bluemont, VA 20135
St. James Episcopal Church Janney Parlor 14 Cornwall St NW Leesburg, VA First Wednesdays 7:30 PM
Prince William Chapter Contact: Jennifer Malloch
[email protected] (571) 229-0768
Please send “Love Gifts” to: Melody Ridgeway 9366 Dahlia Ct. Manassas, VA 20110
Buckhall United Methodist Church, White building to the left of the church 10251 Moore Dr. Manassas, VA 20111 Third Tuesdays 7:30 PM
TCF Reston (for no surviving children) Contact: Nancy Vollmer (VA) (703) 390-0589 Sharon Skarzynski (MD) (410) 757-5049
North Co. Government Center/Reston District Police 1801 Cameron Glen Drive Reston, VA 20190 Second Saturdays 2:00 PM
Washington, DC Chapter Contact: Beverly Hill Benita Nelson-Tutt (202) 394-2851 [email protected]
Please send “Love Gifts” to: Coralease Ruff 3314 Applegrove Ct. Oak Hill, VA 20171
The Howard University Carnegie Bldg. Room B 2395 Sixth Street, NW Washington, DC 20059 Third Wednesdays 7:00 PM
Newsletter Team Editor Janet Keeports [email protected] Database Manager Brenda Sullivan [email protected] Treasurer Wayne Hubbard 23230 Linden Ct. Lexington Park, MD 20653 [email protected] Reporters: Arlington Ron Byrd [email protected] Fairfax Katy Frank, [email protected] Washington, DC Stephanie Thompkins [email protected] Leesburg Bev Elero, [email protected] Prince William Selina Farmer-Williams [email protected] Reston Ilona Lantos, [email protected]
Regional Coordinator Kathy Collins [email protected] TCF National Headquarters PO Box 3696 Oak Brook IL 60522-3696 www.compassionatefriends.org (877) 969-0010
Arlington Website www.tcfarlington.org Webmaster: Lois Copeland [email protected] Fairfax Website www.tcffairfax.org
Leesburg Website www.tcfleesburg.org [email protected]
Prince William Website www.tcfprincewilliam.org [email protected]
Washington, DC Website www.tcfwashingtondc.org
Meetings July 2017
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
7:30 PM Fairfax 7:30 PM Leesburg
Saturday, July 8, 2017
2:00 pm Reston
Thursday, July 13, 2017
7:00 PM Dulles
7:30 PM Arlington
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
7:30 PM Prince William
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
7:00 PM Washington, DC
Page 3 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
July 4th — “Freedom” for Bereaved Parents?
July 4th . . . Independence Day . . .
A day most Americans celebrate their freedom. For bereaved parents, unfortunately, freedom of the body is far different than freedom of the mind.
Before our children died we knew we had the freedom to…
watch them take their first step.
listen for their first word.
watch them step onto the school bus for the first time.
watch them go on their first date.
watch them graduate.
watch them walk down the aisle to be married.
see our grandchildren be born.
For bereaved parents these freedoms are gone forever.
Why did we have to lose these freedoms?
Sometimes we lose these freedoms because the world has the wrong priorities.
Sometimes we lose them because people abuse their freedoms.
What freedoms must be changed?
…the freedom of cancer to strike our children
…the freedom of a drunk driver to be put back on the road with a slap on the wrist
…the freedom of AIDS and other diseases to run rampant
…the freedom of criminal students to obtain guns and kill their classmates
…the freedom of drivers to ignore the speed limits with impunity
…and on and on and on.
When these freedoms are exercised and we are unable to stop them, the deaths of our children destroy our freedom to pursue happiness in our lives.
Our country, of the people, by the people, and for the people, must wake up to the fact that freedom is a fragile commodity. As bereaved parents, we have become a living testimony to this fact.
~Wayne Loder , TCF, Lakes Area MI
Love Is Immortal
Many of us will resent the lengthening of time between our child’s life and our own present. Others may welcome the increasing distance in the hope that time itself will be a balm to pain. Yet, all of us perceive, beyond all the hype and expectations, that new years and seasons are merely calendar events.
Whatever problems we have had in the past will follow us into the present. There is no inner demarcation with hurting behind and joy ahead.
Each of us has the same opportunities now as we had before. We can permit time to simply pass, or we can work to mold its passage into constructive growth.
In the deaths of our children we have discovered with certainty that we lack the means to control the most cherished elements of our lives. But we also know that within each of us is the potential to rise above the debilitating anguish we have experienced.
Time continues to move forward and most of us have been too damaged to even play the games of resolutions and dance the rites of spring. We are beyond the futility of such exercises. But, let us each confront this moment and time with an inward commitment to recovery, to living the hours, which comprise our existence with the fullness and love of which we are capable.
Hurting will ultimately lessen. Pain will slowly become more bearable. Fears and guilt will gradually pass away. But love, that inner dance of the heart which leaps to our child’s name or the memory of an especially close experience that bears only the mantle of endless joy, will not pass away. All else, fame, fortune, distress and dismay, wealth and power, even ourselves, will at last be done.
But love…Love is immortal…May the immortality of love grow secure and healthy again within each of us.
~Don Hackett, Plymouth, MA From ALIVE ALONE
Love Gifts
Lois and Jay Copeland, in loving memory of Allison Weiner, daughter of Chuckie and Donna
Weiner, and sister of Matt and Sara Weiner
Nancy Shultz, in honor of Steven A. McGrath
New Members
We are sorry you need us, but glad you found us:
Kathryn Brown and Wade Sovonick parents of Katie Sovonick
Page 4 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
I’m not here to complain that’s not my style
so you won’t hear a thing from me for a while
the distance I need to increase my speed won’t leave me with a smile
but passionate deeds from immaculate seeds
spring forth for many a mile.
~Tyler William Reed
Submitted by his parents Bill and Cheri Reed, TCF, Fairfax VA
big brother to Chelsea and Marisa
Welcome Home
To those I love and those who love me When I am gone, release me,
let me go I have so many things to see and do. You mustn’t tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years. I gave you my love, you can only guess How much you gave to me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you each have shown, But now it’s time I traveled on alone.
So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must, Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It’s only for a while that we must part So bless the memories within your heart.
I won’t be far away, for life goes For if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you can’t see or touch me, I’ll be near, And if you listen with your heart, you’ll hear
All of my love around you soft and clear. And then, when you must come this way alone, I’ll greet you with a smile and “Welcome Home.”
~Author Unknown
Missing You
No words I write can ever say How much I miss you every day.
As time goes by, the loneliness grows; How I miss you, nobody knows!
I think of you in silence, I often speak your name,
But all I have are memories And photos in a frame.
No one knows my sorrow, No one sees me weep,
But the love I have for you Is in my heart to keep.
I’ve never stopped loving you I’m sure I never will;
Deep inside my heart, You are with me still.
Heartaches in this world are many But mine is worse than any.
My heart still aches as I whisper low, “I need you and I miss you so.” The things we feel so deeply Are often the hardest to say,
But I just can’t keep quiet any more, So I’ll tell you anyway.
There is a place in my heart That no one else can fill;
I love you so, Dad, And I always will.
~Author Unknown
Please consider writing or sending something in for the newsletter. All input is truly
appreciated. If you would like to submit an entry for the TCF Fairfax page, please send it to
the Fairfax editor by the 10th of each month
Page 5 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Our First TCF Conference
I persuaded my husband to attend a regional TCF conference in Pennsylvania about six months after our son died. We drove from Virginia to Pennsylvania and checked in to the hotel. We noticed people walking around wearing picture buttons of their deceased child. It all seemed so surreal to me…what were we doing here? We didn’t belong here. My husband suggested we get in line and register for the conference and pick up our picture buttons. I felt sick inside as I approached the registration desk. I lost the courage to accept this reality and put on a button of Brian’s smiling face. I wanted to deny the reality that we belonged here. We were “one of them…bereaved parents.” I told my husband I couldn’t do it and wanted to take the long drive back home. He was very sweet and he took my hand and led me to a bench to sit down. He said, “We’ve come all this way, we can do this together, it will be all right. I think the conference will help us.” I was impressed with his courage, and calm reassurance…after all I had talked him into attending. As I sat on the bench and calmed myself, I prayed and asked God to help us to receive the courage we would need to attend the conference sessions. We got back in line to register and a compassionate lady approached us, she gave us a loving hug and said, “You are so new in your grief and we understand.” I looked into her eyes and saw such great compassion. I then looked at her button through tear soaked eyes and asked about her beautiful daughter. She said her daughter was murdered ten years ago and she now volunteers at TCF to help other bereaved parents. The kind lady handed us button pictures of Brian and commented on his handsome face. My husband and I courageously pinned on our “Brian buttons, he was smiling on his picture but I also felt his smile from heaven. God answered my prayers for courage by sending that compassionate friend that gave us encouragement. The conference was wonderful and the encouragement just kept coming through the speakers, workshops, sharing groups and new friends. We did belong at the conference after all; this was a safe place where compassion and encouragement flowed freely.
~Beverly Elero, TCF, Leesburg, VA
Summer Prayer
May summer bring you sweet memories of your child and signs from above — beautiful butterflies, dragonflies, stars, pennies from heaven... any signs you recognize.
May summer bring you gorgeous sunsets, rainbows, blue skies and gentle summer breezes.
May others be extra kind to you.
Most of all I pray for you to have peaceful days filled with love and glimpses of hope.
~Beverly Elero, TCF, Leesburg, VA
The Secret of TCF
The secret of The Compassionate Friends’ success is simple: there is no line between being a helper and being helped. In the early months of peoples’ membership in TCF, it seems that most of the time is spent absorbing ideas, crying and letting the grief flow, and “learning the ropes” of being a bereaved parent. The next step is reaching out to others and helping them. It is not a big step, for listening to another person sort out his life helps us to sort out our lives, too. But it is an important step because it is the first point at which the movement is reversed. All the energy had been going inward. We had been feeling so empty inside that we kept withdrawing into ourselves. But at that point when we turn around is the point when we first listen to another, speak the words of comfort and hope, share out pain instead of just feeling our pain. At that time the real healing has started.
~Dennis Klass, PhD. Advisor, TCF, St. Louis, MO
No Vacation
There is no vacation from your absence. Every morning I awake I am a bereaved parent. Every noon I feel the hole in my heart. Every evening my arms are empty. My life is busy now, but not quite full. My heart is mended, but not quite healed. For the rest of my life Every moment will be lived without you. There is no vacation from your absence.
~Kathy Boyette, TCF, Gulf Coast, MS
Upcoming Conferences
40th TCF NATIONAL CONFERENCE “Rays of Sunshine, Oceans of Hope”
July 28 - 30, 2017 Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Ln Orlando, FL 32821
_________________________________
2017 BEREAVED PARENTS USA NATIONAL GATHERING CONFERENCE “Reflect, Renew, Remember”
August 4 - 6, 2017 Hilton Washington Dulles Airport
13869 Park Center Road, Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 478-2900 | http://www.dulleshilton.com
Page 6 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Grief Writing Some Ideas on Keeping a Journal
Writing is a simple, yet powerful way to begin working through your grief. You will find it helps to relieve some of the physical, emotional and spiritual pain that many grieving folks are experiencing.
It will help you work through many of the issues which are difficult to communicate in other ways.
It is very personal and confidential - no one need share in your writings unless you specifically choose to permit it.
It is simple to do spontaneously.
It does not require making complicated plans; it can be accomplished at the moment your feelings and needs are strongest, even when you wake up at three in the morning.
Who are you writing for? Even though you intellectually know that it is for you and you alone, all your prior training has conditioned you differently. During the school years we always wrote for others to see and usually judge, correct and grade. We have all written letters for others to read. Nearly all our prior writing has been to communicate with others.
JOURNAL WRITING IS DIFFERENT: IT IS ONLY FOR YOU TO READ!
While this sounds like such an obvious thought, you may be surprised at the difficulty in getting your inner self to grant you permission to write freely without ANY editorial judgment. As you progress in your writing, you will find that you are able to overcome the ‘mind set’ that you are writing for others, and you will concentrate on fully serving your needs for expression.
Since you are writing for yourself, you now have permission not to be a perfectionist. You can use an old wide lined school notebook or one of those expensive “designer journals,” and you can give yourself permission to be as sloppy or as neat as you wish. Forget erasers – it is easier, quicker and more spontaneous to cross out words. Furthermore, there are no errors when writing for yourself - merely thoughts you wish to re-read and those you want to skip. Rather than erasing or tearing out pages in order to obliterate, try putting a big X through a page or crossing out a phrase. Pay attention to those
thoughts you are inclined to obliterate – often they are rich sources of issues you need to work through in your grief work. For this reason, I always suggest a permanently bound notebook rather than a spiral bound or loose-leaf book.
As a new writer, I have certainly experienced a blank page staring me in the face, unable to think of anything to say. What a relief when I learned to write my “stream of consciousness”. I set a time limit – for starters, perhaps 5 or 10 minutes – and then write everything which comes into my mind, no matter how unconnected, scattered or inane it may seem. Since I am not judging myself, and no one else will read it, it doesn't matter that it isn't a well composed sentence or paragraph. I capture whatever thought or image comes to mind. Since I am not trying to write a story, I merely begin to document my internal images and feelings, my internal dialogue.
Not having the pressure of composing something which makes sense, I just have to be able to write fast enough to keep up with my internal activity. If my thoughts lead me to a particular issue, I may begin to elaborate on it. When the allotted time has passed, I may choose to continue or will allow myself to stop for the day, and start again fresh the next day.
You will surprise yourself at how quickly you have developed a new tool for making progress with your grief work. With the mechanics of writing now a comfortable routine, you can become more focused. In grief work, we are frequently writing for one or more of the following reasons:
To capture our experience or progress
To confront an issue
To vent, explore or express a feeling or emotion
To connect
To atone
To preserve a thought
To memorialize our loss
While few people feel they want to share everything they have written, there is frequently added value in sharing some of what we have written. Some, in their writings, have discovered parts of themselves which they felt they wanted to share. If you find this to be the case, the sharing circle at a meeting of The Compassionate Friends provides that opportunity.
If writing has always been easy and comfortable, please continue to do it. If this is all new to you, please be encouraged as you begin to use this new and useful tool which will serve you well, even beyond your grief work.
This article was adapted from a handout prepared by Alan B. Taplow, of Plainfield, New Jersey, for use with his Bereavement Support Group. He created it from material
inspired by Carol Staudacher in her book, Men & Grief (New Harbinger Publ., 1991)
Page 7 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Summer Memories July is beach time. Those times can be hard for families whose child has died. However, despite the difficulties that brings, I always treasured great memories I have of my wife Nancy and our son Jimmy spending time with family and friends at the beach. We went camping at Frontier Town in Ocean City when Jimmy was 2 years old. Midweek, we went to a timeshare sales event and bought a timeshare. Jimmy was with his Aunt Sandy at the campsite. That first camping trip at the beach was the last for Nancy. No more roughing it. Although we bought at the top of the market, and it’s a lousy investment, it was the best investment we ever made because we spent twenty years vacationing with family at Ocean City. Each year we had plenty of other family members stay with us in our condo on 81
st Street and the ocean. Our son Jimmy
passed too early at 22 years of age from a brain aneurism. He was away at college in Fort Collins, CO, at the time of death.
We had a lifetime of treasured memories at the beach in Ocean City, MD. I remember the time he and his cousin Kate at 18 months old, left the apartment and headed to the beach on their own. I raced down the steps two at a time and ran to get them before they got very far. We shared that story every summer since for twenty years. What a scare.
I loved body surfing with Jimmy and all the other things we did together. We developed a routine of some treasured activities spent together. We played Tripoli at our traditional family game night, Yahtzee nearly every day at the beach, and went walking on the boardwalk at least one or two evenings. We spend at least one night at the carnival riding roller coasters, bumper cars, doing the video race cars and so many other rides at the arcade, and all that fun stuff. We spent at least one day having a picnic at Assateague National Seashore and watching the wild horses. We built sand castles, walked along the beach, picked up buckets and buckets of shells and colorful rocks. We shared memories of who won what games in the past. Jimmy even had a Yahtzee electronic game that he got some unbelievable high score on that no one else could even come close to beating.
Anyway, I often get choked up if I think about missing Jimmy but I cannot help but smile if I start remembering the things we did as a family together - all the stories and
shared things we did together: eating Fractured Prune donuts in the morning, eating crabs for dinner, and buying hats, shirts, hermit crabs, and swim suits. We had a blast at the beach. We still do. Jimmy is still with us in our hearts. We miss him beyond belief. There is a hole in our hearts. Despite this pain, there is a lifetime of love and great memories to share. We are fortunate to have a family who shared these memories for years and years together and we can still do that which is really a pretty special thing (just like our Jimmy).
~Jim Vollmer, TCF, Reston, VA
Jonathan Levy/18 mos. Andrea Sereno/age 5 Sevi Seudem in Turkey (age 14) Becca Donlon in NC Ian Guthrie on a summer day
Chris Lantos – on Copacabana beach in Rio (age 11)
Page 8 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
We Need Not Walk Alone
“We Need Not Walk Alone,” these five words are merely simple words in the everyday English language. However, these five words brought people together again from all over the United States and other countries, in a way that kindled an aching heart to smile again. It wasn’t how long it had been since their loss, it was the reason, the loss of a child (children) or sibling(s). These five words are not a cliché; they resonate hope for a new life after a loss. Through the tears and laughter, which occurred at this year’s conference and all others, the beauty of it all simply embraces these five words, you weren’t walking alone.
When I attended my first TCF Conference in 2000 in Chicago, after Darnell passed, I attended a journaling session. To this day, it has provided me with a tool to continue to say the things I want to say to nephew/godson Darnell, my Mom, and my sisters Eleanor, and Olivia (affectionately known as Libby). In fact, each loved one has their own journal.
At the 2015 conference, my sister Olivia (affectionately known as Libby) was the recipient of the first posthumous Memoriam Award. Each conference I attended previously, was with Olivia, yet from the time I learned she would be recognized for her work with TCF and the DC Chapter as the Chapter Leader, I knew her spirit would be with me. My oldest sister Vivian, Olivia’s son Dyron, and Eleanor’s son Kwasi attended with me. I did not walk alone. At the award ceremony before starting my speech I stated “Libby’s here and she always will be.”
I continue to hold onto words she often said to me, “You can do it baby girl” and “Ask God to help you wrap your arms around it.” I never thought I could miss someone as much as I miss Olivia, but I do. I know God is helping wrap my arms around it, especially on the days when it seems too much to bear.
Olivia knew my favorite movie was Gladiator and my favorite line from that movie is “What We Do in Life Echoes in Eternity. What Libby did in her life echoes in eternity. I just wish she was here for eternity. Olivia was the best sister a person could have had. She prepared me for the things I didn’t want to happen, but had to happen and losing people I couldn’t live without, but had to let go. Her greatest gift to me was her unconditional love and sharing her life with me. I wouldn’t have missed a minute of it for all the world, it was priceless.
I embrace TCF and encourage others to do the same. The National Conferences always provide new and healing experiences, meaningful sessions, and new friends who are just like you. You can always count on coming from a conference with something useful including hope. Many, many thanks, to TCF, Inc. for holding to their tradition with these five words – We Need Not Walk Alone.
To all attendees for the 2018 conference please know that you would not be walking alone!
~Stephanie Thompkins, TCF, Washington, DC,
Darnell’s Aunt, Olivia and Eleanor’s Sister
For Libby, My Sister and Best Friend
Libby was a sister who loved me from the heart. She is and was a joy that cannot be taken away. As I recall my life journey with someone I love so dearly, I see Libby was my best friend, guide, and guardian since our childhood. With her I shared all the joy and tears. Our life together taught me a lot. What I really miss the most is our daily talks. For many years, she was always where she belonged, being my sister and my best friend. Libby, I will always love and miss you
dearly, baby sis, Stephanie.
~Stephanie Thompkins, TCF, Washington, DC,
Darnell’s Aunt, Olivia and Eleanor’s Sister
Page 9 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Resources Survivors of Suicide www.survivorsofsuicide.com American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
www.afsp.org 888-333-2377 Parents of Murdered Children
www.pomc.com 888-818-7662 Haven of Northern Virginia
www.havenofnova.org 703-941-7000 CrisisLink
www.crisislink.org 703-527-4077 SHARE (pregnancy & infant loss support)
www.nationalshare.org 800-821-6819
MISS Foundation
(pregnancy/infant loss support)
www.missfoundation.org. (national)
www.dcmissfoundation.org (local chapter) Washington Regional Transplant Community
www.beadonor.org 703-641-0100
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-8255 (TALK)
Other helpful websites:
www.griefnet.org
www.goodgrief.org
www.thebereavementjourney.com
www.griefwatch.com
www.journeyofhearts.org
www.bereavedparentsusa.org
www.healingheart.net
www.childrenofdome.com
www.spacebetweenbreaths.com
www.holdingontolove.com
www.griefhaven.com
www.centerforloss.com
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to The Compassionate Friends National Office whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
Use this link to sign up: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2968329
AmazonSmile Program Details AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets you enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the eligible charitable organization of your choice. About Product Availability, Pricing and Services AmazonSmile has the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as Amazon.com, including Amazon Prime member benefits.
Purchases Eligible for Donations Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
Managing your AmazonSmile Account You can manage your purchases and other account information on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile using a single account. You can use your existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile if you have one, or create a new account if you don’t.
Page 10 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Preston Harding Davis Jul 1 Justine Bartow & Jeffrey Davis
Matthew Rand Robert Gaber Jul 2 Cathy Gaber
Renard Anthony Harris Jul 2 Pamela Williams-Walker
Emma Kathryn Pascal Jul 2 Cindy Pascal
Adam Seymour Jul 2 Beverly & Jim Seymour
Peter M. DeGrazia Jul 3 John & Corrine DeGrazia
Brad Hampton Jul 4 Beth Hampton
Elizabeth Gibson Jul 4 Joanne Gibson
Chloe Barger Jul 5 Kirsten & Jeff Barger
Christopher Buro Jul 5 Kathy & Ronald Brandel
Nicholas Freeman Jul 5 Steve & Cecilia Freeman
Matthew Harrington Hale Jul 6 Susanne Hale
Michael Santiago Jul 6 Melinda & Carlos Santiago
Taft J. Sellers Jul 7 Vickie Sellers
David Green Jul 8 Susan Green
Nancy Kathleen “Kate” Hagopian
Jul 8 Dave & Mary Hagopian
Olivia Lucia Barreda Jul 10 Gisella Barreda
Antoine Cutrer-Wafer Jul 10 Antoinette Cutrer
Jarrod Weston Jul 10 Meggan Strasbaugh
Samuel Jermaine Blanks Jul 11 Samuel & Betty Blanks
Shannon Deely Jul 11 Pamela & William Deely
Maverick Thompson Price Jul 11 Mario & Nyree Price
John David Lindsay Jul 12 Elizabeth Lindsay
Marc Gordon Thomas Jul 12 Gordon & Barbel Thomas
Sarah Ann Kozushin Jul 13 Anatoly & Margarita Kozushin
Michael Durgala Jul 14 Mary Durgala
Nikki Garlington Jul 15 Lisa Hinson
Laurel Trigg Jul 15 Lesli & Neil Trigg
Joshua Butler Jul 16 David Butler
Megan Gruneisen Jul 16 Beth Gruneisen
David Yoo Jul 16 Karen Yoo
Janet Hermsmeier Bossange
Jul 17 Iris Hermsmeier
Silecia Darlington Jul 17 Jean Darlington
Daniel Joseph Pawlak Jul 17 Debbie & Joe Pawlak
Dia Purnell Jul 17 Linette Robinson
Olivia Lucia Chidester Barreda
Jul 18 Gisella Barreda Trevor Chidester
Ryan Lopynski Jul 18 Jeremy Lopynski
Jennifer Rebecca Toler Jul 18 Carol Brinegar
Sarah Renee Carter Jul 19 Susan Carter
Jeffrey Firman Jul 19 Douglas & Joann Firman
Paul Michael McGuinness
Jul 19 Paul & Anne McGuinness
Andrew O’Brien Jul 19 Missy O’Brien
Paige Mackenzie Johnson
Jul 20 Trish & David Stoskus Matt Johnson Kay & Roger Lavalee
Shey Allen Jul 21 Darcel & Josh Allen
Sean Campbell Jul 21 Donald & Madelyn Campbell
Erika Dunn Jul 21 Marcus & Maria Dunn
Diane Reiley Formosa-Bagatsing
Jul 21 R J Bagatsing & Rhoda Formosa
Eirik Jon Jespersen Jul 22 Nils & Beth Jespersen
Patricia Lynn “Patti” Schmid
Jul 22 Stuart & Sharon Schmid
Gabriel Lee Anderson Jul 23 Ally & Patrick Anderson
Jordan Basl Jul 23 Catherine Basl
Todd Coder Jul 23 Cheryl & Tony Coder
Adam Christopher Smoot
Jul 23 Lynn Burwitz
Andrew Christopher Hopkins
Jul 25 Gary Hopkins
Christopher Michael Diegelmann
Jul 26 Denise & Mike Diegelmann
Kylie Hurt Jul 26 Mark & Elaine Hurt
Neil Kelly Jul 26 Robin & Mike Kelly
Will Foreman Jul 27 Louise & Mark Foreman
Lauren Beverly Gover Jul 27 Anne Marie Gover
Patrick Donoghue Jul 28 Shannon Donoghue
Klara Morgan Knight Jul 28 Ken Knight
Zyon Moore Jul 28 Seaniqua Holman
Korri Summer Duffield Jul 29 Troy & Samantha Duffield
David Gorman Jul 29 Joan Gorman
Esther Madeleine Sanders
Jul 29 Valerie Sanders
Mario St. George Boiardi
Jul 30 Deborah & Mario Boiardi
Jason Clover Jul 30 Cheryl Clover
Kelly Butler Jul 31 Robin Sanford
David Evans Hobson Jul 31 Anne Shattuck
Brandon Perle Jul 31 Patricia & Michael Perle
Daniel Selmonosky Jul 31 Sonia & Carlos Selmonosky
Page 11 The Compassionate friends • Northern Virginia and DC July 2017
Ryan Marie Boykin Jul 1 Julia & Bruce Boykin June Barry
Alyssia Cage Jul 1 Carol Moran
Lynn Stephanie Denson Jul 1 Betty Denson
Matthew Trinkle Jul 1 Laura Trinkle
Douglas Wayne Hosier Jul 2 June Hosier
Daniel Jones Jul 2 Will Jones
Camarie Glover Jul 3 Sharonda Glover
Amanda Harpin Jul 3 Paul & Martha Harpin
Bianca Hopkins Jul 3 Lisa Hopkins
Brandon Perle Jul 3 Patricia & Michael Perle
Michael (Mike) Edwards Jul 4 Joan Edwards
Rebecca Mebane Jul 4 Dorothy Mebane
Renee Parkinson Jul 4 Natalie Parkinson
Chloe Barger Jul 5 Kirsten & Jeff Barger
Michael Dellegrazio Jul 5 Jennifer Dellegrazio
Stephen Agyin Jul 6 Samuel Agyin
Suhail “Sid” Chowdhury Jul 6 Anwar & Patricia Chowdhury
Christopher Jonathan Stroman
Jul 6 Rachel Stroman
Matthew Coffelt Jul 7 Debbie Coffelt
Danny Frank Jul 7 Nancy & Mike Frank
Jame Kouissis Jul 7 Mary Ellen Kouissis
Harper Ray Jul 7 Russell & Kim Ray
Eirik Jon Jespersen Jul 8 Nils & Beth Jespersen
Cody DuWayne Pollard Jul 9 Andrea Pollard
Matthew Sean Clem Jul 9 Suzann Clem
Aaron David Rubin Jul 9 Jeffrey & Valerie Rubin
Susan Lee Holmberg Jul 10 Lennart Holmberg
Sevi Suerdem Jul 10 Demet & Taclan Suerdem
Kenneth Huggins Jul 11 Robi Huggins
Shannon Sullivan Jul 11 Victoria & Terrence Sullivan
Philip Bellis Jul 12 Evelyn Bellis
Brian Cline Jul 12 Anne & Roger Cline
Eli Sachar Jul 12 Rickey & Jennifer Sachar
Eric Alexander Jones Jul 13 Patty & Ralph Jones
Erin Stanfield Jul 14 Jack & Susan Stanfield
Patrick Ryan Gay Jul 15 Pam & Tom Gay
Richard DiLascio Jul 16 Mary DiLascio
Laurel Trigg Jul 16 Lesli & Neil Trigg
Robert Whiddon Jul 17 Donna & Robert St. Pierre
Jenny Ham Jul 19 Bob Ham
Maxwell Harmon Jul 19 Rana & William Harmon
Kasey Haynes Jul 20 Elizabeth DiCristifaro
Claire Alexis Sachse Jul 20 Kathleen & Brett Sachse
James C. Trainor Jul 20 James Trainor
Brooke Lancaster Jul 21 Anne Lancaster
Connor McQuire Jul 21 MaryEllen McQuire
Greg Snellings Jul 21 Kristen Snellings
David Gorman Jul 22 Joan Gorman
Trevor Stokol Jul 22 C. Jodi Stokol
David Patricio Castro Jul 23 Patricio & Clementina Castro
Patrick Donoghue Jul 23 Shannon Donoghue
Stone Weeks Jul 23 Linton & Jan Taylor Weeks
Holt Weeks Jul 23 Linton & Jan Taylor Weeks
Jennifer Coyne Jul 24 Julie & Burton Simonds
Angela Gardner Jul 24 Liz & Gerry Gardner
Ronnie Matthews Jul 25 Bob & Carol Matthews
Eric Monday Jul 26 Penny Rossi
Darnell Smith Jr. Jul 26 Tanya Smith
Allen Coburn Jul 27 Patricia Coburn
Mark Robert Fracasso Jr. Jul 27 Michele & Mark Fracasso
Chris Stern Jul 27 Lauren Stern
Darius Trey Turner Jul 27 Travina Salmond
Klara Morgan Knight Jul 28 Ken Knight
Noah Seidenberg Jul 28 Karen Seidenberg
Nancy Kathleen “Kate” Hagopian
Jul 29 Dave & Mary Hagopian
Alex Leonard Jul 29 Liz Kestler
Esther Madeleine Sanders Jul 29 Valerie Sanders
Marc Gordon Thomas Jul 29 Gordon & Barbel Thomas
Olivia Lucia Chidester Barreda
Jul 30 Gisella Barreda Trevor Chidester
LaShaun Maria Parker Jul 30 Lori & Barbara Parker
Lola Rapp Jul 31 Bill & Layla Rapp
Andrea Katherine Sereno Jul 31 Mitzi & Ed Sereno
The Compassionate Friends c/o Trinity Presbyterian Church 5533 North 16th Street Arlington, VA 22205
Address Service Requested
“At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.”
~ Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer
The Mission of The Compassionate Friends: When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and July feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.
July 2017
