Recently I received an email from a pastor in Kenya who has partnered with Memory Books and operated a Memory Book Club in the poorest of neighborhoods, Ronda. Following the recent killing of University students in Kenya, he suggested he conduct the training sessions for adults working with grieving children, a session I had originally planned to conduct during 2015.
104 adults attended the two-day training session. They had come to hear about the use of a Memory Book by children to preserve and tell their personal stories of loss of people and things dear to them. When the pastor began to share his own story of loss of his father when only one day old, and a life of poverty and struggles that followed, the attendees discovered this event was as much about their own lives as it was about the children they served.
With the invitation to stand and share a personal story, those in attendance began to reveal stories of life’s greatest tragedies previously buried deep within. Where local customs prevented mention of the dead, or public expressions of grief and sadness by men, in the safety and acceptance of this venue, men openly cried and women remembered the loss of those who made them orphans. The two-day session stretched to three when everyone took advantage of the gift of healing by sharing their stories.
When given the opportunity, sharing our stories of loss and life can produce healing by melting frozen grief inside, and provide awareness we are not alone in our loss.
If you want to know more about the use of Memory Books for children who have experienced loss, please contact us at info@memorybooks4children.com.