Compassion Autumn 2022

Autumn 2022 - Compassion | www.tcf.org.uk 5 Dear Compassionate Friends, As I write my thoughts for this edition of Compassion we are now well into the summer months. My last ‘Thoughts from the Chair’ was written in February when we were all feeling a lot colder than we are now. For many of us, the change of the seasons is a different experience from what it was before we became a bereaved parent or sibling. Personally I have enjoyed this hot summer and the memories it has brought me. It has unsurprisingly made me think back to summers from my past, to the days of playing with Fabian and his brother Adrian in the garden and the many outings and holidays that we took over the years. They were very happy times and I try and focus on those times and the happy memories they created. And bringing my thoughts back to the present I know that Fabian would have loved this weather and have made the most of it. For me personally, it is so important to have these positive thoughts and to bring my memories from the past and let them join my present everyday experiences. It helps me to keep those memories alive, to recollect the good times. It is all part of the grief journey that we have found ourselves on, with no one’s journey being the same as each other. But at the same time with each of us having some understanding of not only our own grief journey but of that of other bereaved parents and siblings we meet through compassionate friends. And where possible being able to help other bereaved parents and siblings on their own journey by spreading what positivity we are able to do. I believe that has always been the aim of our support groups and retreats and is at the very heart of everything that is TCF. That is why it was such a pleasure to again be part of the volunteer group at the second in-person weekend retreat held in June at Woodbrooke in Birmingham. This retreat was for parents whose children had died by suicide or substance use. The last retreat of this kind was pre-Covid in 2019, and so three years later we found ourselves again embracing over 60 parents and one grandparent. Thoughts from the Chair Andrew Miller with his son Fabian