Writer Louise A. Bruce provides help and resources for parents of special needs children and those grieving the loss of a child, as well as offering creative materials for Christian ministry.
Special Needs Helps
NATIONAL RESPITE CONFERENCE RESOURCES
Louise offers hands-on resources from the National Respite Conference of 2009 to help special needs families learn important topics like self-care, respite care, and how to find in and out of the box solutions for giving yourself those needed breaks! Topics like how to screen potential caregivers, finding a good fit for your unique family’s needs, understanding fears on both sides, and more are covered.
THE LaCHRIS CONNECTION
Louise and her husband created The LaChris Connection (TLC) to serve families with special needs children, helping them add much-needed adventure and respite care into their lives. While this organization is not currently active, it serves as a flagship of inspiration for families and communities to develop their own systems of activity and respite care. You, too, can form local committees and rally donations and support for various special needs care and events. For more help and ideas, reach out to Louise via email.
Resources for Grieving Parents
THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS
Louise served as a Group Facilitator for The Compassionate Friends (TCF), an International organization for parents who have lost children, for roughly 9 years. TCF provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a child, a sibling, or a grandchild.
Today, TCF has over 600 chapters serving all 50 states plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam, that offer friendship, understanding, and hope to bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members during the natural grieving process after a child has died. Around the world, more than 30 countries have a Compassionate Friends presence, encircling the globe with support so desperately needed when the worst has happened.
CATCHING THE LIGHT
Catching the Light – Coming Back to Life after the Death of a Child is a collection of poetry and musings depicting one mother’s long journey back to a life of contentment, peace and connection after the death of her beloved child. The book is unique in that it describes a bereaved mother’s gamut of emotions from the first years after her daughter died, to seventeen years after her death. The book covers the subjects of grief, guilt, the most difficult days, as well as the healing gifts that have helped her and how she has stayed connected with her daughter and other loved ones who have died.
Louise’s Review:
I would encourage you to read Genesse Bourdean Gentry’s book, as I’ve experienced her kindness and wisdom firsthand. The author of this book is a dear friend of mine who I met when she was a facilitator of monthly bereaved parent meetings. She is a lovely person, inside and out. Her calm and genuine demeanor was immensely healing for me in formal meetings, over coffee, or when she chose to set aside her busy schedule to meet with me on anniversaries of my child’s death. Her collection of poetry, like her, is chock-full of vulnerability, honesty, and being real about suffering, yet hopeful about healing.
During a particularly haunting step in my grief journey, Genesse’s wisdom became apparent when her succinct, simple words (not my forte) spoke volumes and freed me from certain horror. Within the first few months following Christopher’s death, I was struggling with details I had not yet considered. My wonderful hubby had worked in funeral homes during college and was equipped to tend to those tasks.
“Genesse”, I nervously whispered’, “I’m getting glimpses of Christopher’s cremation and feel a fight or flight panic and squelch the thought, but it sneaks back in. I can’t ‘go there’, what can I do?”
She knew me well and of my spiritual security that Christopher’s soul was rejoicing. Yet she was compassionate about this devastating struggle I was having with the sweet, stunning package that held him while on earth.
She matter-of-factly said, “Louise, consider the alternative”.
The mama-cat in me absorbed a vision of a burial’s aftermath and I instantly realized the futility of this obsession. Both Genesse and I silently agreed that there is no pleasant way. The spirit soars. The body does not. Period.
Christian Ministry Materials
‘WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE’ STUDY ADDITION
Louise takes an amazing resource, the “My Time with God” Devotional Bible“, which offers fitting readings that coincide with each New Testament section, and uses it as a foundation for this exploration of Scripture. The New Century Version Bible is designed for 15 minute devotions, spanning a whole year, but Louise has adapted it to be enjoyed as a weekly group review. She offers her WDILL (What Does It Look Like) signature approach as study additions. These are thoughtful, probing questions that coincide with each section to help readers go deeper into how they can apply these scriptures to their daily lives in meaningful ways. Louise’s studies help you whittle down applicable truths and find meanings that go beyond the typical clichés of Christian lingo.
These study additions are the result of years of facilitation and crafting traditional bible studies and offer you and your group a richer, more fulfilling study experience.
SKITS
Louise has developed a variety of skits to teach spiritual principles through entertainment. Used at the women’s retreats that Louise facilitates, her simple yet meaningful scripts work to underscore key points raised in retreat teachings.
Using real-life dialog, the skits touch upon topics such as shame, being overly busy, judgmentalism, and other behaviors that can keep us from true fellowship with God and affect relationships with those around us. While the topics are serious, Louise has made sure that light moments with humor are embedded into each script. Each skit ends beautifully with a scene of reconciliation with God.
Whether acting out a role or as a member of the audience, retreat participants have found the skits to be poignant reminders of the love, forgiveness, and grace that God offers to each of us.
Currently, there are three different short skits that are more meaningful when enjoyed during the same retreat. Participants will meet Helpful Heidi, Faithful Francis and Accountable Amber. The three are, respectively, Type A and over-busy, religious and estranged, and one who lives in shame. It is intentional that each extreme personality is named in a positive light, as God honors all our attempts to serve, yet ultimately He desires for us to rely on Him. Scriptures and personal, Biblical messages from God are ‘heard’ through a microphone from behind the scenes. These skits may be used as part of a retreat or day of reflection, to enhance a Bible study or sermon, or to use as an activity for a fellowship group.
“Being involved in Louise’s skit about ‘Faithful Francis,’ a pious but judgmental woman, helped me see the importance of seeking God just as I am, rather than striving for unattainable perfection.”– Esther O., women’s retreat participant
