3 tcf.org.uk Dear TCF Friends When this magazine is issued in July, I will have been a member of TCF for 20 years; a timespan that seems quite extraordinary! If you are a recently joined member who is in the early throes of the tumult that accompanies your loss, I can only offer you the hope of my own experience, that it will, and does, get better in time. Although it is 20 years since we lost James, memories of my first interaction with TCF remain clear. It was the early days of online forums, but nonetheless we managed to connect and communicate, and find others who could truly understand what we were experiencing, because our thoughts, feelings, emotions, resonated with one another. A more recent example of connections is the TCF Support Day in Exeter which I attended in March this year. Incredibly, after so many years’ membership, this was the first event at which I wore a ‘Volunteer’ badge, and part of my role was to offer two Creative Writing Workshops during the course of the day. Before we divided up for our chosen creative activities, we were in small groups, getting to know each other and sharing a little information about our children. I must say that the intensity of this caught me by surprise. It is a long time since I have been with a group of bereaved parents, some of whose loss is really recent, and my heart goes out to you all for your individual sorrow. Collectively, we were able to support each other with words, hugs, tissues and shoulders. The experienced volunteers who led the groups truly are compassionate. I was really pleased that the participants of the writing sessions produced some beautiful pieces of poetry and prose. Each of these indicates that incredible, unconditionally loving connection which we have with our children. The connection does not end when we lose our sons and daughters. It continues for as long as we draw breath, because they live on in our hearts. I hope you enjoy reading the Exeter writers’ pieces that are included in this issue. It is a brave step to put yourself ‘out there’ with personal writing and it is much appreciated. Connections assume a greater importance when they have meaning and represent how we relate to one another. As well as wearing this editorial hat, you may know that I am passionate about drowning prevention and water safety, and I collaborate with the relevant organisations, such as the RNLI, in this regard. In March I was honoured to be a keynote speaker at the RoSPA National Water Safety Conference; not only was I able to share James’s story once again, but I also highlighted the importance of connections though my membership of TCF. Loving connections come in many forms. It is more than 20 years since my mum died, and every year in May, I plant colourful annuals in a Letter from the Editor Andrea Corrie
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