There is no pain comparable to the pain one feels when
losing a child. Five days passed from
the time of the accident until Katelynn was buried. These five days were the longest and hardest
days of our lives. We have all learned
the value of living in a small town.
Many individuals were there in our time of need. We would like to thank the EMTs, the Trion
Police Department, the Summerville Police Department, and the Erlanger Life
Force personnel who responded to the scene.
We would like to thank the doctors and nurses at TC Thompson’s in NICU;
you not only showed us respect and compassion, but also gave us 110%. We would like to thank all of you who called,
sent food, came to the hospital, and most of all, thank each of you who prayed
for Katelynn as she clung to life. We
would like to thank Pennville Elementary School, Ms Williams, and each student
in Katelynn’s first grade class; you came to the funeral home, you sent flowers,
and your drawings for Katelynn touched our hearts. We would like to thank Girl Scout Troop 381;
Katelynn was so proud to be a Brownie and we will forever remember your kindness
and consideration. We sincerely thank
each church, each member, each stranger who prayed for this child and our family
like it was your own…He heard. We would
like to thank our friends, our family, our community…you stood by us, you fed
us, you embraced us, and you comforted us.
Our lives will be forever changed by this tragedy, but also by the love
and support you all gave us. We will be
forever grateful.
The
Family of Katelynn Brianna Bass
UNLESS YOU'VE LOST A CHILD---
Don't ask us if we are over it yet. We'll never be over it. A part of us
died with our child.
Don't tell us they are in a better place. They are not here with us where
they belong.
Don't say at least they are not suffering. We haven't come to terms with
why they suffered at all.
Don't tell us at least we have other children. Which of your children would
you have sacrificed?
Don't ask us if we feel better. Bereavement isn't a condition that clears
up.
Don't force your beliefs on us. Not all of us share the same
faith/religion.
Don't tell us God never gives us more than we can bear. Right now we don't
feel we can handle anything else.
Don't avoid us. We don't have a contagious disease, just unbearable pain.
Don't tell us you know how we feel unless you have lost a child. No other
loss can compare to losing a child. It's not the natural order of things.
Don't take our anger personally. We do know who we are angry with! But we
lash out at those closest to us.
Don't whisper behind us when we enter a room. We are in pain, not deaf.
Don't stop calling us after the initial loss. Our grief does not stop there
and we need to know others are thinking of us.
Don't be offended when we don't return calls right away. We take each
moment as it comes and some are worse than others are.
Don't tell us to get on with our lives. We each grieve differently and in
our own time frame. Grief can not be governed by a clock or calendar.
Do say you are sorry. We're sorry, too and you saying that you share our
sorrow is far better than saying any of those tired cliché's you don't really
mean anyway. Just say you are sorry for your loss.
Do put your arms around us and hold us. We need your strength to get us
through each day.
Do say you remember our child, if you do. Memories are all we have left and
we cherish them.
Do let us talk about our child. Our child lived and still lives on in our
hearts forever.
Do mention our child's name. It will not make us sad or hurt our feelings.
Do let us cry. Crying is an important part of the grief process. Cry with
us if you want to
Do remember us on special dates. Our child's birth date (Jan.14th,1976)
death date and holidays are a very lonely and difficult time for us without our
child.
Do send us cards on those dates saying you remember our child we do.
Do show our family and your family that you care. Sometimes we forget to do
that in our own pain.
Do be thankful for children. Nothing hurts us worse than seeing other
people in pain.
Mary Cleckley, Atlanta, GA, wrote the original one.
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