It’s the Little Things
December 12, 2021 — Laura House
If you’re not a bereaved parent but have a friend who has lost a child, you might wonder how you can be a comfort and blessing to them. Honestly, it’s not the “big” things that really help the most, it’s the little things.
Yesterday my sister called to ask a question. She leads a GriefShare group through her church, and at the final meeting next week, everyone will be bringing a food to share that was special to the person they lost. She proceeded to ask me what Nathan’s favorite snacks were, and I relayed the following story.
When Nathan was four, we hosted a Bible study in our home. In preparation for one of the meetings, I had baked two pumpkin pies to serve. Since a few people were missing, only one pie was actually needed, and Gary and I looked forward to having another slice when everyone left. After bidding farewell to the final guest, we headed to the kitchen, ready to savor another serving. To our surprise, we found an empty pie plate and a rather guilty-looking, but incredibly cute little guy sitting on the floor next to it. Nathan had eaten the entire pie! Throughout the rest of his life, whenever we had pumpkin pie, we teased him about that incident. He loved pumpkin pie.
Upon hearing the story my sister said, “Then that’s it. I’ll take pumpkin pie”. It’s hard to describe how much it meant to me that she wanted to share something that was special to Nathan. After more than five years, she still honors and remembers him in every way she can.
So what can you do this holiday season to bless a grieving friend? We’ve put together a short booklet with some ideas and hope it will be useful to you. And if you are a bereaved parent, as we are, perhaps the booklet would be something you could share with friends and family, so they have a better understanding of what might be helpful to you during this holiday season.
