HELP FOR THE FAMILY/YOUNG PEOPLE - When Children Grieve

DAMI'S STORY

At first, it seemed to be a simple headache. But when my dad's pain got worse, my mom called an ambulance. I still remember the paramedics taking him away. Little did I know that it was the last time I would see him alive. Three days  later, my dad died as a result of an aneurysm. I was just six years old. 

For years, I blamed myself for my dad's death. In my mind I would replay that scene of the paramedics taking him away, and I would ask myself:  'Why did I just stand there?  Why didn't I do something?' I would look at older ones with health problems  and wonder, 'Why are they alive and my dad isn't?'[  In time, my mom helped me to talk about my emotions.  And as Jehovah's Witnesses, we had wonderful support from the congregation. 

Some people think that you can grieve right a tragedy and then be over it, but that wasn't the case with me.  I didn't really grieve until I was in my early teens. 

My advice to young people who have lost a parent in death is,"Talk to someone about what you're going through. It may be that the sooner you let your emotions out, the healthier it will be for you. 

Yes, it's hard to go through milestones in my life and know that my dad isn't here with me.  But I find comfort in the Bible's promise at Revelation 21:4, which says that soon God "will wipe out every tear from [our] eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. 

Next time: HELP FOR THE FAMILY/YOUNG PEOPLE - When Children Grieve -DERRICK'S STORY

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