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I just wanted to share what I did this afternoon; not to toot my own horn or anything, but just to let you know how helpful this can be when you know someone with a recent bereavement.
Our church sexton (the person who cleans the church) just died suddenly. She was a terrific lady, whose daughter is our Sunday School teacher and one of my customers as well. We have a small church and we are all close.
It's been about 4 weeks since her mom died. She called me yesterday and said, "I need to make some thank you notes for some of the people who helped with the funeral. The funeral home gave some to me, but they just seem so inadequate somehow. Could you help me do that?"
Now, she's a fairly new stamper, so I said sure, come on over and we'll make some. She only needed 6, she said.
So before she got here I fooled around with the tree line from Lovely as a Tree and used the new Shape Ups to put soft shadows behind. A nice simple card with soft colors. I stamped "Thanks for Your Kindness" below the trees and some simple tearing and it was just right. When she got here, she loved it, so I showed her how to make one and she proceeded to stamp up 7 more.
She was here for three hours. She stamped for maybe 1 of those, if that and we just talked the rest of the time. It was nice. We talked about her mom and what she was going to do next, etc.
Anyway, my point is, if you know someone who is grieving, if you stamp and they don't, make some nice thank you notes for them. There are always people who need to be thanked after a funeral. The notes they give you at the funeral home are so generic that they don't convey what you want to say. If your grieving friend stamps too, invite her to come over and make some with you. My friend told me that she can't pick up any of her other crafts she does because her mom and her did those things together, which makes her sad, and they take concentration that she just can't seem to muster. But stamping seems to be helping her; it's quick and easy and she can concentrate on what she's doing enough to lose herself in it, but not so complex that it takes a lot of thought.
It helped me too, since I miss her mom and have felt bad for her and wished I could help in some way. I participated in the funeral by being the lay reader and I made something for the lunch, but it felt good to be able to help her NOW, now that she has to get through each day without her mom.
Jan! Thanks for this post. I am sure that this lady benefited greatly from you getting together. She was able to make something nice in honor of her mother, had someone to talk and relax with, and just had a moment to remenisce {sp?} about her mother. This was a very nice thing. Gina
Location: Alta Loma, CA ~~ With the *Girls* ~~~~~~~ Rubi, BeckyZ and Bia
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Jan, that was very sweet and giving of you. Sometimes when someone is greiving they just need someone to listen to them as well as share with someone who cared greatly for their loved ones.
You are so right on. My dog of 14 years+ passed away yesterday and we have been a bit somber around here since. My 23 YO son came home yesterday from college and almost as soon as he arrived, our dog passed. It was especially hard for my son and my 4 YO daughter. Well, the whole family. I did find the time to stamp as we really were not up to doing much today. sigh*
That is so sweet. What a wonderful and thoughtful idea. I am sure that you made her grief a little easier to bear yesterday and that she will be eternally grateful. I find that Stamping takes away my frustrations. Some days, if I make a card, even if the house is falling apart around me, I feel like it was a good day - I accomplished something. And I know that having a friend to just listen probably helped her out more than anything. No one wants to tiptoe around death. They need to talk things out. You did something wonderful today - it will come back to you tenfold!
I lost my 29 year old son (my best friend in life)(and business partner) to a drunk hit and run driver four years ago, I can not tell you the depth grief can sink in...if it were not for my faith in Jesus I would not have survived the 3 years following ....BUT if not for STAMPS, I would have stayed in despair for lack of finding a way to recapture my creativity...Stamps can get you back to creating...starting with as simple or as intricate as your mind will allow you, the grieving proccess borrows energy from your creativeness for a season or two but stamping helps with the focus...I so enjoy this site...I'm new here, but not to stamping, I've been doing it since before stamping was cool! carved my own back in the 60's!!!! Did I say that??? Maybe those stamps have my focus to clear!!! Keep stampin and scrappin folks!!!
Nancy
Rubber Neckin' in Haddam Neck, CT
__________________ Nancy Peplau
Rubber Neckin' in Haddam Neck,CT
Help for those who grieve
