Letter to the Editor - All bereaved parents, grandparents, siblings, and those who support them

The North Central Montana Compassionate Friends, along with the National Compassionate Friends, is participating in the 23rd annual World Wide Candle Lighting in remembrance of those children gone too soon.

The death of a child is devastating and it’s important to the family that the child always be remembered. That’s why our chapter, based in Fort Benton, will take part in this worldwide event designed to honor the memories of all children, regardless of age, who have died. The North Central Montana Chapter, along with hundreds of other chapters around the world, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, is conducting organized memorial services for The Compassionate Friends 23rd annual Worldwide Candle Lighting, an event now believed to be the largest mass candle lighting in the world.

The local candle lighting will be part of a special service held at 6:45 p.m. at the Community Bible Center, 1600 Main St. in Fort Benton, and will feature music, along with readings, and poems. Annually, tens of thousands of families, united in loss, light candles for one hour during the Worldwide Candle Lighting, held the second Sunday in December. Candles are first lit at 7 p.m. local time, just west of the International Date Line. As candles burn down in one time zone, they are lighted in the next, creating a 24-hour wave of light as the observance continues around the world. I encourage families from every part of the Golden Triangle to join us: Havre, Box Elder, Rocky Boy, Chester and the towns of Geraldine, Carter, Great Falls, Belt, etc.

The holiday season is an extremely difficult time of the year for families grieving the death of a child. The Worldwide Candle Lighting has united bereaved families around the globe as a symbolic way of showing the love we continue to carry for our children, even though they can no longer be with us physically. This candle lighting transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries as tens of thousands of families share in this worldwide memorial event.

From my own experience, this candle lighting helps set a tone for the holiday season that makes it a tiny bit easier. If you are unable to join us in person, feel free to light your own candle at the seven o’ clock hour, where ever you are. I encourage friends of people who are grieving the loss of a child to attend as well — the support is appreciated.

Be good to yourselves during this season.

Sincerely

Gail M. Allen

Chapter Leader for North Central Montana Compassionate Friends, Fort Benton