Avery James Photography

Avery James Photography

Friday, March 6, 2009

The Compassionate Friends - South Bay Chapter

For those unaware, I participate in a support group called The Compassionate Friends (http://www.compassionatefriends.org/)

It's a support group for those who have either lost a child, grandchild, or sibling. This group has been one of a very few things in my life that has kept me sane throughout the loss of my beautiful son, Avery James.

I recently volunteered to be webmaster for the South Bay chapters website...so basically I have to create it from the ground up, and then continue to maintain it. I love giving back to this group, and I am constantly looking for more ways I can help...this so far has given me the most fulfillment because I know what it is like when you first lose a child - and you want to read as much as you can on the subject because you are just constantly looking to grasp onto anything that makes sense anymore...

Having a multitude of information is extremely helpful, especially when you read things written by others who have experienced the same tragedies...you finally find someone you can relate to again, that understands the extreme emotions that you feel...

For many, with the technology age we're in, searching for information on the web is key...many of us do not want to leave our homes, especially the first few months, and so finding information from the comfort of our home computers is very important...

The national website is wonderful and has tons of resources - but it's also comforting to be able to connect to something local to you....

I am so excited to have responsibility over this website, and I'm really excited to see what it becomes down the line...I have tons of ideas and I just can't wait to implement them all.

For starters, I wanted to share this picture of Caydan that I've decided to use for the framed pages...this was from the 2008 TCF Candle Lighting. This is an annual event held around the world in memory of children and siblings of any age who have passed away.

You can view the website and keep up with its progress here: http://www.tcfsbla.org