Compassion Summer 2021

Summer 2021 - Compassion | www.tcf.org.uk 9 quite a long time ago, are “Beyond Tears” by Ellen Mitchell and “Holding onto Love” by Chuck Collins. The former is based on the experiences of about a dozen bereaved parents and the latter is written by a bereaved dad who is a member of TCF in America; it’s one of my favourite books. We also have a few audio books in the library and “It’s Ok that you’re not Ok” is one of them. Another, which is very popular is “The Knitting Circle” by Ann Hood. This is fiction but very much based on fact. It tells how joining a knitting group, and chatting while she was knitting, helped a bereaved mum after her daughter died. This actually was Ann Hood’s experience and being helped by working on knitting or other craftwork has been the experience of so many of us. After my daughter died I went along to a craft group in Rochester run by Irene Baldock, the contact for Medway, and we made squares for a quilt to honour our children. I’m no seamstress but somehow, with a lot of help from Irene, I made a square, and then another, and it was so therapeutic. We’d sit and chat in a totally non-threatening atmosphere, working away and chatting about our children and it was just wonderful. There was often more talk than work but that didn’t matter and we’ll hopefully be getting back to our craft sessions when the regulations allow. Also on CD we have a series of radio programmes discussing various aspects of child loss, some lovely music and lots and lots of “Talking Compassions” going back several years and beautifully read by Janet Armstrong. So that’s just an idea of what’s available. I will move the suggested reading list up my to-do list and make sure it’s up to date by the time this edition of Compassion is sent out. I’ll also make a note beside each title to let you know whether or not it is available to download. To finish I thought I’d share an Eskimo legend which Irene Baldock sent to me many years ago now. ‘Perhaps they are not the stars but are rather openings in Heaven Where the love of lost ones pours through and shines down on us To let us know they are happy.’ Mary Hartley, TCF Libraian