Lighthouse member Janice Abbott to present 'Mourning to Joy' Dec. 14

The 16th Annual Worldwide Candle Lighting of the Lighthouse Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will be held beginning at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 14, at Epworth United Methodist Church on Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach.

The Worldwide Candle Lighting begins when the first candles are lit in New Zealand and then moves westward through various time zones as tens of thousands of bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents, relatives, and friends around the globe join together to light remembrance candles to honor their children who have died but will never be forgotten.

The evening’s guest speaker will be Janice Abbott, whose teenaged daughter, Vonda Kay Abbott, died in a traffic accident in 1984. Janice is a Lighthouse Chapter member and after her daughter’s death joined Grief Support at People’s Place in her hometown of Milford, where she became a group leader.

In 2007 she became one of the facilitators for a Grief Share support group program at Milford’s Avenue United Methodist Church, which conducts two 13-week grief support sessions annually.

Janice Abbott has always attended the Candle Lighting Ceremonies and felt that she should share her experience and feelings about grief. She said, “My talk is entitled ‘Mourning to Joy.’ It’s about my grief journey, which I want to share and because I think my story will help bereaved parents and families wherever they may be in their grief journey.” She said she will focus on hope: “I’ll discuss the five stages of grief and how each one affected me in my grief journey.”

The evening’s ceremony transcending all ethnic, cultural, religious and political boundaries includes music, inspirational readings and a visual presentation memorializing children who have died at any age. Lighted candles will be raised and a bell will toll as the name of each deceased child is read.

“This service is a way of uniting together to remember our children who have died too soon,” said Lighthouse Chapter Leader Marge LaFond. “The Worldwide Candle Lighting is one way that we try to bring light out of darkness during the holiday season, which is an extremely difficult time of the year for bereaved parents and families. Like a ring, this circle of light surrounding the globe represents that there is no beginning and no end for the love we carry for our children.”

During the day of the Worldwide Candle Lighting, a Remembrance Book will be open to the public on TCF’s national website to receive memorial messages of love which are posted from around the world. Last year, more than 5,000 were received, many in foreign languages. To view a list of known services open to the public and for more information about The Compassionate Friends and the event go to www.compassionatefriends.org or call 877-969- 0010.

Lighthouse Chapter Candle Lighting participants are asked to arrive at Epworth Church around 6 p.m. to register their child’s name and date of death so they can be read during ceremony.

The candle lighting will begin with an audio/video presentation of photos of children who have died. The memorial highlight of the Lighthouse Chapter’s program is when each child’s name and date of death are read, a bell is tolled and candles are held aloft by parents, family and friends in tribute to each child. Also, a special Memory Tree will feature ornaments with the names and photos of chapter members' deceased children.

Refreshments will be served following the Candle Lighting.