The Bereaved Parents Club

by Scott NewportJul 24, 2012Grief, Spiritual Support6 comments

Guest blogger Scott Newport belongs to a club no parent wants to join—the Bereaved Parents Club. In observance of the month, Scott sent this post and a poem to share with you.

Did you know July is Bereaved Parents Month? Yeah, I found out the hard way when my son died a couple of years back. Each month that passes, I find there is no escape or relief from the grief our family endures. I have found that writing helps me to better understand the sadness and be able to continue on with the ones of us left behind.

One of my poems about grief was published in We Need Not Walk Alone, a magazine published by The Compassionate Friends organization, back in the spring of 2011.

As my Different Dream has come true in life, I will continue writing, and I will keep living the dream I never expected or even wanted. But I would never go back to the dream I had before Evan.

Anyway, in honor of this month I wanted to share the poem about grief with you.

Garden of Grief

Grief is like a wild vine growing
It thrives in all conditions
Drought or floods have little effect

As I see the serpent navigate
I wonder if the new buds emerging
Are going to be venomous flowers
Or another shoot
Headed in another direction

Each thread of its being
Searches for cracks to fill
Or innocent prey
Soon to be entangled in its hold

I tried to prune it one day
But all it did was become
Stronger, my mistake

Leave a Comment for Scott and other Bereaved Parents

Many of us don’t belong to the Bereaved Parents Club, so we don’t know how Scott and other members of the club feel. But we can leave messages of support for them, messages to remind them that people care about them, their children who died, and their grief journey. So leave a comment for Scott and other parents living a very different parenting dream than they expected.

Thanks, Scott, for sharing your heart with us!

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By Scott Newport

Scott Newport is a carpenter who has a vision for unwanted, damaged wood. His finds are treasures to his soul. Each discovery he makes unfolds into a beautiful piece of furniture for which he finds a home, usually with a child or caregiver of a child with special needs. He writes about the life lessons he learns from his 3 children, especially from Evan who died in November of 2009 after 7 years of joyful life. To access all of Scott’s guest posts, click on the magnifying glass at the top of the page and type “Scott Newport” in the search box.

6 Comments

Jolene on July 28, 2012 at 4:40 pm

Susan,
I am so sorry to hear of your tragic losses. May Scott’s words give you some measure of comfort.
Jolene
Susan Bradbury on July 28, 2012 at 12:20 pm

I joined this club in 1998 when my fullterm stillborn daughter, Lydia arrived. I re-newed my membership when my fullterm still born son, Davin arrived in 2004.
Jolene on July 25, 2012 at 9:37 am

Janet,

Thank you for you sweet comment. I’m so glad you were spared becoming a member of this sad club.

Jolene
Jolene on July 25, 2012 at 9:36 am

Sara,

I’m so sorry to hear of your loss and so glad Scott’s poem spoke to you. Your grief is something I can not imagine.

Peace,
Jolene
janet on July 24, 2012 at 8:51 pm

Dear Scott,

Thank you for sharing your lovely, sad, beautiful, powerful poem, I do not belong to the Bereaved Parents Club and I thank God every single day as we came very close to being members a few years back. But i’m happy to say I am not. I am so very sorry for you and your families great loss. I hope you continue to write, it has been very therapeutic for me. Best wishes to all and I sure hope that your angel is watching over you all.
Sara on July 24, 2012 at 5:22 pm

Scott that is truly beautiful, I lost my daughter nearly four years ago. Not a day goes by without the pain of missing her. My grief is like that wild vine, sometimes it’s so tightly bound I find it hard to breathe.