We attended the Petrea King ‘Living With Grief’ day in Orange on Saturday and I can honestly say that it was an amazing day for both of us. It is no surprise that Petrea’s presentation was fabulous…down to earth, gentle, practical and informative…but it was the way she allowed, even encouraged, everyone to be involved and to share their grief journey in a safe, positive atmosphere. There was no judgement, no conflict of ideas, just understanding and direction.
The other thing that was abundantly clear was the bond between everyone in the room, We have always said that we gain just as much from talking and sharing with other bereaved parents at TCF days as we do from the presenters. By the end of the afternoon we felt like we had just spent the day with some of our best friends…other people who actually understand our journey and us! It is 21 years since we lost our beautiful boy, Nic, but we still learnt so much from Petrea and from other parents. I know that the more newly bereaved parents really gained a lot of understanding and comfort from the day as they commented on that … as hard as it is to actually make myself go, it is always so worth it from the moment I walk into the room.
The room looked so special with all our children’s photos and memorabilia proudly on display. The personal rugs and banners all hanging on the curtains, and all our autumn leaf decorations, really set the atmosphere of a warm and welcoming day. Tammy and Donna just amaze me when they are so early in their grief themselves.
I want to give an overwhelming thank you to Chris, Joy and Peter and Jo (and anyone else who helped) for all their hours of work behind the scenes to make this day happen. You are the unsung heroes who never take any credit for what you do. We so appreciate you organising this out here in the country as I’m sure that most people who were there on Saturday would not be able to make it to Sydney, ourselves included, and then they would have all missed out. The massive hours you all put into Compassionate Friends astounds me! I am sure that the Sydney day will be just as successful and I encourage anyone who can go to do themselves a favour and embrace the experience.
Thank you again
Big hugs to everyone
Judy and Tony Fisher xxx
