1. Introduction
3. Memorial Sites

 

4. Discussion Groups

 

5. Healing Resources

 

6. Conclusion

 

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Introduction

 

7. Grief is the internal awareness of pain we experience when we lose someone we love. Mourning is the outward expression of that pain. Mourning is grief gone public. The death of a child is the worst loss ever. It is a catastrophic stressor that robs parents of what they love most. "Approximately 79,000 infants, children, teenagers, and young adults die each year in the United States." Senate Resolution #193, 105th Congress. Parents experience the symptoms of grief more intensely, and far longer than with any other loss. No two people grieve in the same way. Many factors influence the way we grieve, including the circumstances of the death, the culture and society in which we live, and our religious beliefs. There are many resources available to help grieving parents cope with their loss, including Online Resources, which you can access from the convenience of your own home. There are memorial sites where you can create a memorial for your child, or visit memorials of other children. Discussion groups where parents can communicate, to help each other cope on a daily basis, and other online resources available that can give parents information, and opportunities that can aid in the healing process.

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One way to cope with a loss of child is to have a special reminder. A memorial site on the internet is a unique way for parents to honor their child. These memorials help parents and others cope with their loss by sharing their experience with others. The parents of the deceased child find comfort in the fact that the story of their beloved child is being passed on to others. Compassionate Friends feels so strongly about the need for these memorials that they have successfully lobbied to create National Children's Memorial Day. "We believe that annual National Children's Memorial Day will demonstrate support and understanding for bereaved families." Memorial Sites on the internet are widely used. There are many different Memorial Sites available depending on the specific needs of the individual. Each Compassionate Friend's Memorial Site is as unusual as the individual it depicts. For example, the Memorial Site can be the life story of the lost child written by the bereaved parent or close relative. The Memorial Site can be simple memories, funny stories, or specific details of the fatal tragedy. Some Memorial Sites include pictures, music or graphics. These memorials allow the surviving family members to express many different feelings. Memorials can celebrate life, express anger, and create awareness, Each memorial has a guest book that friends, family, or sympathetic readers can sign. The Atlanta Georgia Chapter of Compassionate Friends has a wall of memory, where you can create a memorial for your loved one. Although grief is a painful and exhaustive process, grieving parents can find sanctuary in these memorial sites.

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Almost any parent who has lost a child, can verify the fact that there is always some family members and close friends that find it very difficult and uncomfortable to address the issue of the deceased child with the parent. As a result, some parents have a lot of difficulty dealing with the grief, and discussing their feeling and emotions with family and friends. Grieving parents need an outlet to work through the grieving process. Discussion Groups/Chat rooms are available for grieving parents. Grief chat rooms can be informal chats between parents or scheduled chats on a specific topic. "Specialized chats are available for discussion of grief issues which focus on specific types of losses." These chats offer more structured formats, with topics and occasional guest speakers. The Compassionate Friends Chat Room offers structured chats with guest speakers. Sometimes a grieving a parent needs more than a sympathetic ear. A grieving parent needs a non-judgmental environment to voice opinions, fears, and pain. The Grief Recovery online site is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Grieving parents needs a place where they feel comfortable and safe. Most of all a grieving parents needs the support only another grieving parent can provide. The Meeting of Hearts Java IRC Chat Applet can provide that kind of support. Religious beliefs can also impact how a person grieves. Christian Grief and Healing Discussion Community is a religious site that can address specific needs.

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 There is no way to bypass grief and sorrow when tragedy strikes your life. You can gradually recover from this devastation, and even grow stronger in the process. It is a myth that grieving feeds pain. You must fully experience your grief if you are to be fully healed. The purpose of grieving is to get to the point where you can remember without pain. Grieving means letting yourself feel the anguish, not suppressing it. It means sharing it, talking about it, and allowing yourself to go through the various stages that grief encompasses, which may include shock, denial, guilt, anger, depression, and finally acceptance of the situation and moving on to the next phase of life, however hard that may be. The Healing process for a grieving parent is long and painful. There are many resources available on the internet. Stages of Grief is one such site that addresses the stages and the fluctuation between these stages. Suggested Readings is a site where you can find newspaper articles and books related to grief and the healing process. Healing Heart News is another online site that provides newsletters from specific coping organizations. Compassionate Friends, Atlanta Georgia Area Chapter has e-mail and telephone friends that allow grieving parents to contact and communicate with each other on a daily basis if they desire to do so. Parents also have access to published materials on grieving. You can even purchase these items from Amazon.com. Healing is a long process that takes a lot of work. Online resources are available to the grieving parent, if they desire to utilize them.

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Compassionate Friends, Atlanta Georgia Area Chapter http://www.compassionatefriends.org/resolution.htm

National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children http://www.pomc.com/

Compassionate Friends of Atlanta Georgia Area Chapter, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2474/Jeffrey_Hinkle/Jeffrey.html

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2474/Wm_Lilly/Wm.html

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2474/Gregory_Ott/Gregory.html.

Jayne Newton, The Compassionate Friends web page http://www.atlcom.net/~wnewton/memorial_instr.html.

Compassionate Friends Chat Room, http://www.compassionatefriends.org/chat.htm. 

Grief Recovery Online, http://www.groww.com/gr.htm.

Meeting of Hearts Java IRC Chat Applet, http://irc.meetingofhearts.com:8000/.

Christian Grief Healing Discussion Community

http://disc.server.com/Indices/25787.html.

Compassionate Friends,Atlanta Georgia Area Chapter, http://www.atlcom.net:80/~wnewton/materials.html

Healing Hearts News http://www.geocities.com/~healingheart/HHNewsJan.html

Compassionate Friends, Atlanta Georgia Area Chapter http://www.atlcom.net/~wnewton/telephonefriends.htm

Amazon.com http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/babar/109/griefbooks.html

Grief Stages

http://www.geocities.com/~healingheart/stages.html

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