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Local News
Participants are to meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Gloria de Cristo Church at 40th Street and Fortuna Road in the Foothills. Here are a few of the families who will be attending and their stories: The Zeiglers
"It is such a struggle to keep going. I started one minute at a time, then one hour at a time and day by day, and that's where I am now. "Last year we were moving into a new home, but I just couldn't get into the holiday spirit, so the ornaments weren't taken out of boxes. This year I'm finding many of Julie's favorite decorations, and I'll be be putting them up. Her brother, Carl, and my husband both miss her, too," Zeigler said. Zeigler has a plaque with Julie's name on it in the Compassionate Friends area of Desert Lawn cemetery. "This has been important for Julie's friends. It's a place where they can come to remember." Some people have their private candle-lighting in their homes, Zeigler said. The Komors "When the candles are lighted, it will be part of the 24-hour wave of light around the world," explained Carl Komor, a Compassionate Friend. "The ceremony dedicated to a loved one begins at 7 p.m. in New Zealand and passes each hour through an adjacent time zone until it reaches Arizona." He and his wife, Sally, are parents whose son, Steve, died in late 2005. Sunday's ceremony will be outdoors, weather permitting, or in the fellowship hall. Refreshments will follow the ceremony. The Komors express their personal feelings on the loss of their son with "that empty room in your house, trumped by that empty space in your heart, and the familiar ache in your stomach when you think of your child who died, no matter how long ago. "A chance remark, an old letter found, a toy uncovered bring thoughts you must review. But painful as the memories are, everyone knows that the pain must be faced with reality. Walling up the hurt, as men so often do, will only ensure that it (the hurt) will be with you longer and will prevent you from living to a full life again." Sally Komor added, "Our son was 42 when he passed away. He had had physical problems and we were a close family. It's still difficult to realize he's not with us, but we will never forget him." Compassionate Friends Longtime Yumans, Ron and Evelyn Shook, were founders of the first local chapter of Compassionate Friends in the early 1980s after the death of a son. During the 10 years they were in the group, the memorial wall was built at the cemetery. There are two benches for contemplation visits. The plaques are sold at the Johnson Mortuary offices at Desert Lawn, 1415 S. 14th Ave. The Compassionate Friends will have a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Gloria de Cristo Church to help others with the pain of losing the child — infant or adult. For information, call 344-5529. Pam M. Smith can be reached at psmith@yumasun.com or 539-6856.  |
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