Coping with special occasions

UK Helpline: 0 345 123 23 0 4 | www.tcf.org.uk If we live alone and/or have no close friends or family, it can be harder to cope with these special occasions, as any feelings of loneliness may be made worse. Sharing our feelings with other bereaved parents who genuinely understand and who may have already experienced such occasions can be an enormous help. We can find the support of other bereaved parents through a meeting of The Compassionate Friends (TCF), or through the TCF Facebook pages or online groups. Further advice for lone parents can be found in the TCF leaflet The bereaved lone parent - tcf.org.uk/loneparent “I take comfort from reading posts on Facebook made by bereaved parents. They truly understand how I feel, and share useful advice as well as expressing sincere empathy.” Amira Remembrance ideas for special occasions Candles symbolising the flame of life can be lit, perhaps in a special place or at a special time. TCF organises a worldwide candle-lighting day each December. We could create a lasting keepsake , such as sewing a quilt or cushion, working with wood or stone, or painting pebbles. Many of us have put together a memory box or collected photos into a book. Writing a poem, a letter or a memory about our child at the time of the anniversary can be therapeutic, as well as being a special way of remembering. Trees and shrubs might be planted in our own garden or, with permission, at a school, a park, or in a graveyard. TCF Facebook groups are a good place for sharing our writing and pictures, as well as interacting with other parents who have experienced similar losses. Poems or articles can also be sent to the TCF publication Compassion , or we can post our writing in the TCF Facebook groups.