I'm There Inside Your Heart

~ author Unknown

I’M THERE INSIDE YOUR HEART

 Right now I’m in a different place,

And though we seem apart,

I’m closer than I ever was….

I’m there inside your heart.

I’m with you when you greet each day

And while the sun shines bright,

I’m there to share the sunsets, too…

I’m with you every night.

I’m with you when the times are good,

To share a laugh or two,

And if a tear should start to fall…

I’ll still be there for you.

And when that day arrives

That we no longer are apart,

I’ll smile and hold you close to me…..

Forever in my heart.

Introducing "Open Arms for Empty Hearts" in Lake Havasu City, AZ - Please Join Us

We are pleased to introduce "Open Arms for Empty Hearts".   As many of you know, Joyce Floyd gave the Lake Havasu City, AZ community and Mom's years of her help and support and we could never fill those shoes, so thank you Joyce for all your dedication and support.  As Joyce moves on to other endeavors, our goal is to take up the gauntlet and continue with the idea of Mom's helping Mom's. 

We are so pleased to announce that as of this Thursday, February 13th, we will begin meeting on the 2nd & 4th Thursday mornings of each month at the Lake Havasu City Aquatic Center from 10am-12N.  Our meetings will be open to all Mom's, new and old that wish to participate in celebrating their child's life and memories.  As you all know, the loss of a child is probably the most painful loss one can suffer.  Only those who have experienced that loss can offer their support and comfort to others.  This will be an open forum, members taking turns hosting the meetings...bringing their own experiences and knowledge to others..

We are also pleased to introduce our Facebook page "Open Arms for Empty Hearts" and would encourage all moms to go to the site and feel free to post any comments, suggestions or ideas - again our Facebook page is another work in progress...  

We are all looking forward to seeing all of you again and welcoming new members.  Beginning this week, registrations forms will be available so that we have up-to-date contact information and we hope you will pass the word, and reach out to moms who may have attended in the past and make sure they have our new meeting information. 

If you have any questions or suggestions you can also contact us at "openarmsforemptyhearts@gmail.com"

Charlyne, Debbie, Janet & SharonEmpty

Struggling in the Valley

I remember very well the day that our founder, Joyce Floyd, gave this to me early in 2010 ..  I was really struggling with my son Bobby's death a few months before and truly wondering if I'd make it through this "process:"...  up one day for a few hours and then CRASH with a pain that was all consuming!!!! I'd traveled this road before in the early 70's when in 71 our daughter Randee Marie had died and then again the following year when our daughter Robin passed away.. But this time was worse, or so it seemed...  Grief is a mess and I'd forgottenhow long the roller coaster would last... but eventually the horrible pain does soften and peaceand joy will return to your life...I promise...  Cherie Houston

Frankly, grief is a MESS!  It’s like a never ending horrible nightmarish roller coaster ride, filled with horrifying twists and turns, steep drops and sheer cliffs.  It hurts so much that it leaves us gasping for breath and wishing for the comfort of a coma.  We wish we had died, but suffer the realization that we didn’t.  And that’s the trouble!  We didn’t die…we’re stuck in this living nightmare and we can’t see any escape route.  IT is a journey we never asked for and don’t want to explore.  Yet, we struggle in the VALLEY, hoping and praying for relief, only to discover that even our prayers seem to go unanswered.  It is a lonely and desperate time.

It seems endless and we grow weary of the storms and winds of grief.  Yet, the OTHER SIDE OF GRIEF sounds just as scary.  So many people have told us what we SHOULD and OUGHT to do in order to achieve recovery that it all seems to blur into emptiness.  They talk about ‘closure’ and we don’t even know what that means!  Does that mean you have to forever ‘close’ the story of your loved one’s life?  Or does it mean you should never again grieve?  Or maybe, it means you should not talk about your loved one anymore.  What does ‘closure’ mean and what does recovery mean?

NO ONE UNDERSTANDS although many think they do.  It is easy to grow tired of breathing and of coping creatively with the thousands of footsteps that have to be taken.

You have discovered that Death is an injury…..a severe and devastating psychological wound that causes great pain and trauma in the early weeks and months and years.  Yet, eventually, and over a great period of time, that injury does heal and you must then learn to live with the scar that is left.

February - It's Time for Love

~ Written by Rosalie Baker, Rochester, NY 

February has fewer days than most months, and that may be of a special significance to us, as our children had fewer days than most.  When we think of this month, the most outstanding day perhaps is Valentine’s Day.  It is a time for love.  When we were school-aged, we had a special chance to give and receive cards in those decorated boxes in our primary classrooms.  Perhaps it is the one holiday that children can really do something for everyone.  Addressing a card to each and every classmate made you think of how you felt about each one and wonder about how they felt about you.

Love is found in every day of every year, but February and Valentine’s Day are very special.  I wish I could remember just how it felt to get a “nicer” Valentine from someone I had sent a “nicer” one to.  It is so long ago, and there have been so many much more significant happenings in my life.  But sometimes, I’d like to remember just how it felt.

I am sending along this Valentine’s Love Note to you right now and hope that you know it is one of the “nicer” ones, because you are very special to me.  Somehow I don’t wonder how you feel, somehow I know.  As we grieve the loss of our children and one another’s we begin to find a different kind of love than we ever expected to experience.