Dreaming Kevin: The Path To Healing
by Carla Blowey, bereaved mom and author
Links
LIVING WITH LOSS MAGAZINE LIVING WITH LOSS: Hope and Healing for the Body, Mind and Spirit (formerly known as Bereavement Magazine) features articles, stories, poems and resources for the bereaved by grief educators and presenters, facilitators and caregivers, authors and writers, and most important the bereaved themselves. Our mission is to offer compassion and hope with the most current resources, tools and perspectives in the bereavement field. Most important, we invite the bereaved to consider alternative and innovative ways to cope with the diverse issues and concerns that make their grief journey unique.
GROWW Here you will find your partners in pain sharing their experience and strength. We have message boards, resource listings and secure chat rooms hosted by the most loving people on the internet for all who are grieving. Anne D'Ambrosio Executive Director
BabySteps.com “The BabySteps Children’s Fund is a non-profit organization offering information and support to bereaved parents and children suffering the loss of a child. BabySteps is named after the baby steps that form the long and difficult road to recovery from the loss of a child.”
Bereaved Parents of the USA a national non-profit self-help group that offers support, understanding, compassion and hope to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings struggling to rebuild their lives after the death of their children, grandchildren or siblings. I attended my first ever bereaved parents conference at the 8th Annual BPUSA in St. Louis MO. As a presenter and first time attendee I experienced the power of healing in reaching out to one another. Contact a local chapter near you and share the wealth of your journey.
The Brian Vermilyer Hope Foundation Laura Vermilyer couldn't promise her 14 year-old son, Brian, a cure for his brain tumor, but she was able to promise to do her best to help find a cure for other children suffering like him. Laura invites you to: "Please visit our website to learn more about our sons courageous battle and to help us in supporting medical research for childhood cancer."
The Compassionate Friends The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive. I had the opportunity to present my workshop at the 2005 TCF Conference in Boston. I met the most inspiring people who offer compassion in the midst of their own pain so that other bereaved parents will not have to walk this journey alone. Contact a local chapter near you and get involved.
The Compassionate Friends, Salt Lake City Chapter, Utah Debbie Cameron-Brown hosts this website for the Salt Lake City Chapter of Compassionate Friends. Debbie reviewed my book and posted it on her useful links page as well as place it in their library.
GriefAid BrendaSchmidt is the founder of GriefAid and author of "Blessed Are They That Mourn; Comfort in the Arms of the Angels" Broken Hearts Press. Brenda also reviewed my book and added it to the GriefAid Library.
Grief Watch Newsletter: Cry when you want. Laugh when you can! Email newsletter for bereaved parents.
Rainbows is a not-for-profit, international organization that offers training and curricula for establishing peer support groups in churches, synagogues, schools or social agencies. These curricula are available for children and adults of all ages and religious denominations who are grieving a death, divorce or any other painful transition in their family. I introduced Rainbows to our community and was the coordinator for four years. It's a wonderful program providing a safe and compassionate setting for children to express their grief.
Letters From the Heart
This bimonthly newsletter is for bereaved parents and offers
uplifting stories, helpful advice and inspiration through a difficult time.
Brenda Penepent is the executive director of Healing Hearts for Bereaved
Parents.
Memories of Jackson This website is hosted by Deana and John Godek, bereaved parents of Jackson. Their site offers beautiful poetry, links, and bereavement support for bereaved parents. Deana is active in the Long Island NY area and will be facilitating a Toddler Loss group soon.
My Parents Are Survivors This website hosted by bereaved mom Sonya Marvel, is for moms, dads, and grandparents, who have survived the death of a child. Featuring a newsletter, message board, and resources for the bereaved.
The Robie Foundation "Our son Robie was almost four years old and part of a set of triplets. Robie had a condition called PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) also known as a heart murmur. A Congenital Heart Defect (CHG). In its most basic form, the mission of the Robie Foundation is to educate parents whose children have been dsimilarly diagnosed. If we can spare even one family from what we are now experiencing, we'll have achieved this goal." I met Debra Masterson, mother of Robie, and founder of the Robie Foundation at the TCF conference in Boston. Debra is an inspiring and passionate woman who is making a difference in the lives of so many in such creative and meaningful ways.
SUDC is the sudden and unexpected death of a child over the age of twelve months, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation is conducted. I met Tami and Jake Gove bereaved parents of Josh (age 15 mos.) of Denver, CO when I presented a workshop at the Bereaved Parents USA conference in St. Louis. Tami and Jake were newly bereaved less than six months and they somehow found the courage to become involved in SUDC and attend the BPUSA conference! I was so impressed with their love and support of one another and their desire for understanding and healing their loss. As a result, they are actively involved with the Josh and Gus Run For A Reason benefit ....Please visit their website and support the SUDC program.
INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS & MUSIC BY BEREAVED PARENTS
Ashley's Songbook Bereaved father and songwriter, Alan Pedersen wrote and performed the songs in memory of his daughter Ashley Marie Pederson. Ashley's Songbook is "a gift from the two of us given to all of you who have suffered great loss. This isn't merely about Ashley and I, it is the story of all of us who lost our angels too soon. It is said we are never as close to our child as when we grieve, I know this to be true. Ashley's passion was music and lyrics. She was over my shoulder and in my heart as I wrote and recorded these songs. My prayer is this music touches you in some way and takes you to that sacred place we all go to when we choose to remember." I also had the pleasure of presenting with Alan at the TCF Denver-Front Range bereavement workshop, Our Peace in Verse and Dreams. Alan's music is truly a gift from the heart.
The Ethan Chronicles Bereaved mother and author of The Eathan Chronicles: A Requiem for a Life Stolen, Marsha Willis is the program director of a Denver company that advises organizations on matters of U.S./Latin American business and trade, and vice president of the Ethan Foundation, dedicated to raising public awareness of traffic safety. Marsha is actually "Ann Williams" in the book. She reports that even though her book is a work of "creative nonfiction," she remained true to the story as it unfolded to her. Written during the early days of her most intense grief, it reflects her perceptions and understanding of Eathan's death. I was delighted to meet Marsha when we presented together at the TCF Denver-Front Range bereavement workshop, Our Peace in Verse and Dreams.
Letters To My Son is an amazing story of the power of faith hope, and love in the midst of an inconceivable loss-- the death of a precious child. These seven letters from a father to his son express not only the heartache and despair of many bereaved parents but also the wisdom and blessings gained on the journey. Mitch Carmody illuminates the darkest corners of grief to reveal a simple message---that we ‘substantiate the life of our deceased children by the way we live ours’. Mitch Carmody shines his heart light for all the world to see and Kelly lives on!
Love Never Dies is a breath of fresh air for bereaved parents! Sandy Goodman writes about grief with a sense of humor and realistic perspective that I can truly relate to. I laughed out loud when she gave the award for the most irrational platitude, "time heals all wounds", and let my tears flow when she too revealed spending hours at the scene of the accident. Her honest and intimate account brings understanding and relief to those bereaved parents waiting to be affirmed in their journeys as well as their after-death communications with their children. Sandy and Jason prove that love is forever." Carla Blowey, author of Dreaming Kevin: The Path To Healing"
TOUCHED BY LOVE: A Parable for Today Author Harry McDonald hosts this site featuring excerpts from his new book Touched By Love, a weekly open letter, testimonials, articles and links discussing transformation and evolution through dynamic forgiveness. Harry's mission is "To create an environment that will produce an unlimited number of individuals who transform their life and this world through divine guidance and dynamic forgiveness." In Touched By Love, my dear friend, Harry presents an unusual yet engaging perspective about Jesus’ life and purpose on earth, challenging both our historical and personal beliefs. Because Harry has chosen to live consciously and see himself and the world through the eyes of God, Touched By Love is more than a novel, it is Love in action. Touched By Love is provocative, inspiring, and healing!
Dr. Bernie Siegel and ECaP I met Bernie Siegel in 1991 when he lectured here in Montrose. During a break in the lecture, I shared some of Kevin's drawings with Bernie. He validated and confirmed my insights and offered me his thoughts as well. Several days later, he was kind enough to call me from his home in Connecticut with more information and resources. I have always been very grateful to Bernie because his validation was an important stepping stone in my journey. See Bernie Siegel's review of Dreaming Kevin
The Celestine Vision Hosted by James Redfield, author Celestine Prophecy and Salle Merrill Redfield, author, Celebrating a Life of Joy. A wonderful site dedicated to creating "a new spiritual awareness and culture that will flourish in the new millennium" and providing "an ongoing spiritual discussion and the dissemination of ideas throughout the world." Interviews, chat, prayer room, resources. One of my favorite sites!
The ADC Project was created in May, 1988 to conduct the first in-depth research of After-Death Communications. The founders, Bill Guggenheim and Judy Guggenheim, interviewed 2,000 people who live in all 50 American states and the 10 Canadian provinces. They collected more than 3,300 firsthand accounts from people who believe they have been contacted by a loved one who had died. Hello From Heaven by Bill and Judy is the first book ever written that documents this exciting new field of research. Published by Bantam Books, it contains 353 poignant and deeply comforting ADC accounts.
Earthlight2000 Hosted by Chris and Ara Cormier ,Earthlight2000 believes in the power of Self and the upliftment and empowerment of all individuals. While psychic and mediumship readings go a long way in relieving our anxiety and grief regarding life issues, Earthlight2000 believes in redirecting people back to their own source of inner power, helping people to identify their “tools”, and most importantly, teaches how to apply these tools in everyday life. Once people are functioning from their own point of authentic personal power they raise their vibration and in turn impact the collective consciousness of the world.