Re: A Sad Evening

[Guest guest]

Dear Gail,

I have found that the truth is always best and that a simple admission that I cannot explain certain things helps my sons deal with the imponderables that populate our existence.

Take care.

Louis

harkins@...

A Sad Evening

I am so overcome with sadness right now, The sister of one of 's friends died while at summer camp this morning. She had some unknown infection which quickly became critical. Before the camp could fly her to a nearby hospital, she died. She was 13. We know the parents quite well. I do not know what I will say to when she comes back from her camp (a different one than her friend's) next week. To make matters worse, I will be in chicago by the time gets back and will not see her until Sunday night. There are so many unanswered questions at this time. Perhaps the most heartwrenching question is a simple "Why?" How can I explain and comfort her when I do not understand this myself? I guess with all the heartache that OCD has caused and our family, it seems that we have had more than our share of troubles. Then I get news like this and feel lucky that my children are safe and that our world is ONLY rocked by OCD.Gail in N'AwlinsYou may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing listserv@... . In the body of your message write: subscribe OCD-L your name. The Archives, Files, and Features List for the may be accessed by going to , enter your email address and password, then point and click. Subscription issues, problems, or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at harkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Gail:

What sad news. I agree that simple explanations are the best. There are also

some good books out there for kids dealing with death and dying. One of my

favorites for younger kids is The 10th Good Thing About Barney. For older kids,

The Bridge to Terabithia is excellent. In fact, it's often used as part of the

reading curriculum in middle school. I wish we had answers to those

unanswerable questions.

We'll talk in Chicago.

Jule