By Jeanni Ritchie
Losing a child is one of the hardest things a parent will ever go through. Whether the child is still in utero or grown with a family of their own, it is unnatural for parents to outlive their offspring. Becoming a bereaved parent makes you a member of a club you never wanted to join.
While We’re Waiting is a national faith-based bereavement support group for parents who’ve lost children of any age. While they are a non-denominational faith-based organization, there is no requirement or expectation that attendees of their events share their faith. Their mission is to help those as they navigate their grief.
Jan Schmitt, Alexandria, has found the group to be invaluable in her journey. “My husband Doug and I found While We’re Waiting right after [our 25-year old daughter] Alexandra died. The group has been an integral part of our support network. When we lost Alexandra, we lost a part of ourselves. Unimaginable pain. We didn’t know how to do life without her. We still don’t. But over the past 10 months, the other members have become friends that are there for us when we need them. They help remind us that God has a plan and to trust that we will see her again.”
My own daughter died thirty years ago. As much as I appreciated the friends who rallied around me, it was the strangers who’d also buried children that I gravitated to the most. We had several support groups in Central Louisiana at the time that were instrumental to my healing. I was dismayed to see they’d all disbanded while I’d been living away but delighted to discover a While We’re Waiting chapter had been founded in our area.
Susan Cartwright emphasizes this importance of fellowship with other parents. “We welcome all parents who have lost a child because we know your foundation has been cracked and shaken to the core. At While We’re Waiting Cenla, you can form bonds and make connections with other parents who truly understand the experience of child loss.”
Along with her husband Tommy and Joyce Toups, Cartwright facilitates the monthly meetings on the fourth Friday of each month. “Come and learn with us how we can live abundantly while we’re waiting to be reunited with our children someday.”
For more information on While We’re Waiting, support group locations, and the free bereaved parent weekend retreats held across the country, visit www.whilewerewaiting.org.
For more information on While We’re Waiting Cenla, call Susan Cartwright at 318-206-8102.
While We’re Waiting Cenla meets this month on August 23 from 6-8 PM at the Book Nook, 6025 Monroe Highway, Ball.
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.