A Hopeful Future
I was ten…it seems so long ago, but it was only seven years ago.
My mom asked me today, “What do you remember most about Daddy?” I said his black hair, and that he was always tan because he loved to be outside fishing. Then I looked up at a picture of my dad and me when I was about two and I am in his arms and I said that he really looks happy to be with me.
So I have that memory – that time that I can look back at ten years of pictures and remember him. I am lucky; I have my grandparents, aunts and uncles to complete those pictures and tell more stories. That is really all my sisters have because they were so little when my dad died.
After the funeral and the food and the friends, it was just the family left. Our little family, the four of us. I realized that I had to take on the job of helping my mother and taking care of my then two and one year old sisters. It was then that mom and I started to go to Hearts and Hope. I did not know what to expect, but the little house was nice and the people there had gone through what I had. They lost a parent or a sibling. I never felt out of place or alone there. I could talk to the other kids and tell them my feelings and I knew that I was not the only person that had gone through this. I couldn’t talk to my friends at school because they just didn’t understand. Going to Hearts and Hope also helped me and my mom talk more, because no matter what we always had our Hearts and Hope night together.
Because of my dad dying, I have had to mature faster than a normal kid and take on more responsibility. But because of it I have become a better person, brother, friend and son. Seven years ago my dad died, I still miss him.
My time at Hearts and Hope taught me that it’s okay to miss my dad. They taught me how to show that I miss him, how to talk with my mom, and share with my family and friends. What I learned there helps me get through the tough days – and I still have tough days. Seven years ago I thought I would never be able to smile or laugh again, but the support I received at Hearts and Hope has allowed me to move on.
Every day Hearts and Hope serves kids like me and parents like my mom...families that have been broken by the death of a loved one. As you consider your year-end giving, I am asking you to support the work of Hearts and Hope. When you do, you’re not just donating to a charity; you are helping to restore joy and fullness to grieving families just like mine. You’re helping to ensure that our life will not end with grief but with a hopeful future.
Sincerely,
Connor M. Lewis
