"It’s a big house. I never realized how big it was until it was empty." Those might be mom’s thoughts as she sits alone drinking a morning coffee, contemplating her day. Her youngest child has gone away to college or has left home to wed or start a career. Mom is left with no job and a feeling of no longer being of value.
On March 5, 2001, Charles “Andy” Williams went to school armed with a .22 caliber revolver. On Thursday, August 14, 2002, “Andy” was sentenced to 50 years to life for the shooting deaths of two classmates and the wounding of thirteen others.
An enormous amount of time, energy, emotion, and money will be spent looking for answers and explanations in the aftermath of the Fort Bragg cluster of murders. There will be lots of talk of post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, stress, and anger. The pundits-that-be may even coin a new phrase to explain why returning U.S. soldiers murder or were murdered by their spouses.
In the past couple weeks we have seen tens of thousands of words written in major publications about the plight of retirees and others who depend on investments to support their golden years. Relatively little has been written about recovering from the emotional wounds that invariably accompany financial loss and insecurity.
Undoubtedly, the family and loved ones of Samantha Runnion are devastated by the tragic, incomprehensible death of the precious little girl who was there, then gone, and will not return.
Memorial Day as we know it today began as Decoration Day in 1866 in upstate New York after the cessation of the Civil War. First conceived as a homage to those who had given their lives, it soon evolved to also honor those who had survived. Within two years it was renamed Memorial Day, and over time came to symbolize our community need to stay ever mindful of those who had sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Although the official birth of this annual event was in the North, the Southern states had parallel ceremonies, which were eventually joined as the national holiday we commemorate every year.
Things you need to know about funerals and memorial services.
The events of September 11, 2001 continue to dominate our hearts and minds as we grapple with the aftermath of that almost unfathomable tragedy. In the days and weeks to come, the issue of funerals and memorial services will move to the forefront as a major topic for discussion. As an organization that is recognized as a worldwide authority on grief and recovery from significant emotional loss we feel obliged to share information based on our twenty-five years of experience in these matters.