Bereaved Parents, North Little Rock

Tonight was the Monthly Bereaved Parents Meeting in North Little Rock.

Until the Spring of 2004, I don't think I even knew such a group existed. Then one horrible day, their monthly newsletter arrived in my mailbox. How did they know I needed a life preserver thrown to me that day? How did they get my name?
I still don't know. I guess somewhere in Little Rock, there is another sad mom who is assigned the job of reading local obituaries and putting freshly broken-hearted parents on the mailing list.
But I recall reading that newsletter and being so encouraged that "I'm not alone!"

I did not got to any meetings because they were way on the other side of Little Rock. Miles and miles and miles. Too hard. Way too hard.

Then some of my friends decided that we needed to get a chapter on the North side of the river. We had talked about it for a long time. We needed a Bereaved Parents group for all of us in North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Cabot, and everywhere else "out here".
There's just too many of us.
It seems we're everywhere.
I hate it.

Jim and Cindy Stricklin took on the job. They had survived the loss of their son in 2000, and they felt strongly like they could begin the group.

One year later,..we have 20 or so people attending. An unbelievable amount of pain all contained in one room, but oh my goodness,..you should feel the love!
My friends that I have met in the pit of grief are cherished like no other.
They are strong, affectionate, transparent and all bound and determined to get past this hurt.
I barely know most of them, but feel as if I truly love them.

Believe it or not,..it's a great place to be.