The founder, Beth Stewart,
lost her son, Trevor, in an avalanche in Chamonix, France.
POLS is here for you by Telephone: 604-926-8400 or
e-mail pols@shaw.ca
OR mail:
Ste. 137 - 2151 Gordon Avenue
West Vancouver, BC
V7V 1W1 |
Marilyn Block at
blockslanding@shaw.ca
or phone 250-861-7067 is also available.
You can write Marilyn at:
331 Robin Way
Kelowna, B.C.
V1Y 5H5
Future plans for our website include
a weekly chat room where parents can visit and talk
in the privacy of their own home. |
| GETTING THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS |
We care about all family members
who are left behind. POLS also offers a Companion Journal which includes
material that will assist in the uncharted territory in which you
find yourself. Just contact POLS and one will be sent to you.
One of the most difficult things you will encounter is getting through
the holidays when you're grieving. For people like us, the most challenging
holiday times are Birthdays, Mother's and Father's Days, Christmas
or Chanukah. Those are the times of family gathered together and your
loved one will be missing from the family photo. Here is some practical
help. |
| • |
Get lots of rest ahead of time. You will need all your strength.
|
| • |
Don't set your expectations too high, of yourself or other family members
|
| • |
Holidays often magnify feelings of loss. Talk about it as a holiday approaches.
|
| • |
For that Special Dinner at home, change the menu, the time and the room. |
| • |
You may want to change, or not change, your traditions. It's up to
you. |
| • |
Buy instead of bake. Let others help. Or go out, for a change. |
| • | Don't give in to the should's or be influenced by what others think
you should do. |
| • | Give yourself permission to do, or not do, whatever you want. |
| • | It's important you feel sad because grief suppressed is illness manifested. |
| • | Think ahead about how to reply to the words Merry Christmas. |
| • |
Attend a Blue Christmas service at your church or synagogue.
You'll find comfort |
| |
in connecting with your roots and faith. Above all, be gentle
with yourself. |
| • | Remember your loved one will always be nearby, cheering you on. |
| |
No one can ever take their love away from you. It is eternal. |
| Shane's close friend and cousin, Colin Corcoran
put it so beautifully... |
| "It seems
there is never a right time to go but there can be the right place. The
comforts I find now are knowing Shane left us in his place of happiness.
He has moved on to a place of eternal happiness, where the snowcovered peaks
are measureless, and the faceshots are unlimited. Shane lives on with us
every day. He is the warmth from the sun, he is the freshness of the rain,
he is the beauty of the alpenglow, he is the glistening crystals on the
fresh snow." |
|
