Walking & Rolling and Wishes On This Mother's Day

Next Sunday, sixteen family members and close friends will be 'walking and rolling' in memory of Kitty at a fundraiser for Faith's Lodge, a retreat center that supports parents and families coping with the death or medically complex condition of a child.  I kind of wish that the event was today, rather than a week from now, although I completely understand the reasoning.  So, for today I am at home enjoying a peaceful afternoon and gratefully anticipating next Sunday's event.

Both Mother's and Father's Day - quite honestly - aren't very enjoyable anymore.  As I suspect may be true for many grieving grandparents, we are also bereaved sons and daughters.  We have no living parents to honor and we silently watch our own children suffer through the well-intended greetings of 'Happy Mother's/Happy Father's Day' as they mourn the loss of their child.

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Yesterday, I hosted my twin granddaughters' 7th birthday party - a sleepover attended by five of my little grand-girls.  Kitty should have been there.  It was hard to watch my daughter navigate this double-whammy weekend: Mother's Day coupled with the twins' party.  Stoic and very unlike Mandy, she kept herself busy and away from conversations by cleaning up after the meal, scooping up ripped off wrapping paper and moving the activities along at a record-breaking pace.  She was doing her best to hold herself together.  My typically optimistic child is having a rough weekend.  Correction: she's having a rocky, get-over-the-mountain kind of weekend.  Walking for Kitty in support of Faith's Lodge would have been comforting today.  

For anyone unfamiliar with Faith's Lodge, programs at the center are based on the child's age or circumstances.  Family programming consists of optional activities, including professionally-led discussion groups by a licensed therapist, optional one-on-one time therapy sessions, massage therapy, therapeutic arts and crafts, mindfulness, and north woods adventures.  The purpose is to reflect on the past, renew strength for the present and build hope for the future.

Located in Northwestern Wisconsin, the retreat center is less than a two-hour drive from Minneapolis/St. Paul, less than one hour from Duluth/Superior and about four hours from Madison.  The non-profit lodge was created to be a safe haven to reflect, to explore and to be with others going through a similar experience.  Since opening in July 2007, Faith's Lodge has served more than 8,500 people. Parents and children from 40 states across the country and the UK have benefited from the services of this unique facility.

A weekend for bereaved grandparents is scheduled for June 27 - 30, 2019.

Mandy and her family were touched by the care and hopefulness received during their stay at Faith's Lodge.  If your son or daughter and their family is in need of a tranquil, comforting get-away, this may an option to consider. 

For more information and details:
Website:  https://faithslodge.org/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FaithsLodge/
Phone:  Administrative office - 612-825-2073, Retreat Center - 715-866-8200
Email:  [email protected]

If you would like to support this one-of-a-kind retreat center through our family's fundraising effort in memory of Kitty Rose, Please visit https://faithslodge.rallybound.org/hopewalksandrolls and search for 'Team Tabitha'.  We would love nothing more than to walk with you next Sunday.  If you cannot join us, and feel called to do so, we are most grateful for donations.

Today, rather than wishing you a 'Happy Mother's Day', my hope for you is that you have a day spending time doing whatever you most desire, keeping your child close at heart and remembering your grandchildren with love.