Hi! I’m Catherine. I am the Family Bereavement Support here at Lily of the Valley. I have the profound honor of walking with families who are currently journeying through grief after the loss of their child. For an entire year after their loss, Lily of the Valley sends families quarterly bereavement support through a series of books on grief, encouraging Scripture passages, and a personal letter all assuring families that their walk through the valley of grief need not be alone. Although families often receive a great deal of care and support immediately following the loss of their child, this support often tapers off within just a few weeks. Our hope is to support a family beyond these early moments and into the deep grief they find themselves in the weeks, months, and even years to come.
I too was supported in my grief by Lily of the Valley after my two-month-old son, Philip, passed away in November of 2022. As I opened each book and read each letter, I remember feeling so seen in my grief; that my son and I were valued and remembered even though the world kept moving forward. Each letter gave me the permission to grieve that I craved, not just three weeks after losing Philip but three months, six months, and even a year after he was gone, yet, they always encouraged me to keep my focus on the hope of heaven.
It is now my privilege to be able to walk with grieving families as they too seek to navigate life with this heavy cross of child loss. That first year is sacred ground which I know can be both tender and volatile all within the same breath. We hope that through our bereavement support, families can find peace and joy amidst this first year of much sorrow and suffering all the while remembering that “…in everything God works for good with those who love him” Romans 8:28.