More than 20 years after suffering in silence over the loss of my sister, I wanted to meet and talk to others who had lost a brother or sister growing up.  Through a stroke of luck, I discovered that a chapter of The Compassionate Friends would be holding the first weekend retreat for bereaved siblings in Kansas City,  Missouri.

I knew The Compassionate Friends provided support to parents who had lost children;  I didn’t know that it reached out to bereaved siblings as well.   Even though I would know no one else, I was determined to attend.

The retreat was a working seminar called When Brothers and Sisters Die: Gathering Ways to Help.  I signed up for the weekend and made plane reservations.   Little did I know at the time that I was about to embark on an experience that would significantly change my life.

When I arrived, I got very nervous.  I wondered whether there would be other attendees in their forties or if I’d be considerably older than the others.  When I registered, I asked that question.   The woman who signed me in assured me that all ages would be attending, “even older than yourself.”  I felt a surge of relief. Continue reading Compassionate About Sibling Loss →