So I took my daughter back to Seasons Centre in Barrie last night to begin a new year of being a mentor to children who have experienced the death of a sibling.
This year is already shaping up to be a better experience for her. There are new kids in the group, and the unfortunate thing is there are new kids in the group. The ones who “graduated” from the program were a couple years older and did not take the sessions very seriously. The new kids are younger and are better behaved. They are already talking and opening up. I don’t have the particulars (Claire would never share that, even when she was a client), but I do know that one child shared a very sad story of loss.
It made me think of the parent that was with us downstairs when we were there with Claire. This mom could never bring herself to share the story of how her son died. Then one day, she was on new anti-depressants. She related every detail of the accident in plain, matter-of-fact language. I barely slept that night. I’ve not told anyone the story because I don’t want the same for them. I still think about it.
But the new group is positive and chatty and one girl seems to already love Claire. At the end of the night she clung onto her and tried to take Claire home with her.
I think Claire needed that.