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It’s a comfortable place, a safe place

When my father died in 2007, it was a devastating blow for this daddy’s girl. I never imagined that my
boys would grow up not getting to know their grandpa and it was a hard truth to accept. It still is.

It was an incredibly difficult time for my mom as well, and trying to support her is what first connected us to Bereaved Families. As we tried to make sense of it all, I focused more on helping her than processing things myself. I’ll be honest, I attended the group for her. Or at least that’s what I thought in the beginning.

What struck me, and stuck with me, was the incredible compassion, empathy and understanding that filled that room every session. It was a comfortable place. It was a safe place. It didn’t matter if you shared your story, just wanted to listen, or soaked through an entire box of Kleenex with your tears. It was somewhere my mom and I could connect and deal with the loss.

Then in late 2011, she left me too. A sudden, and second devastating blow that left me reeling and forced me to not only deal with her death but also the grief I hadn’t completely worked through when my dad passed away. I can honestly say, it was the hardest time of my life.

Today, I find myself connected once again to Bereaved Families, not only as a member, but as a
director on the Board, celebrating my first anniversary with the organization. It was that compassion
and understanding that I remembered from my initial experience with my mom that brought me back to
Bereaved Families – it is what resonated then, and I still feel the impact of that today.

I am strong believer in giving back – to the community we live in, and to the organizations whose work we are connected to and passionate about. Since the day I became a Board member, I have felt compelled to do whatever I can to help further the work of Bereaved Families. For me, that has meant getting involved in the planning and execution of some exciting initiatives that will help bring awareness to this incredible organization that does so much for people in our community who are dealing with the loss of a loved one.

I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to be a part of what’s to come.

Jaime Bickerton