This story, heartbreaking as it is, reminds us of something deeply human: we are not meant to grieve in silence or isolation. We are meant to gather. When we come together to say goodbye, it gives structure to the chaos of loss. It creates a space to honour life, acknowledge death, and share in sorrow. Ritual, whether simple or elaborate, helps us process what we cannot understand. A ceremony gives grief a beginning, and that is often the first step toward healing. In this family’s case, the delay in holding a farewell for the father did not lessen its importance. In fact, it made it all the more sa- cred. They waited through months of anguish, knowing that when the time came, they would gather not only to say goodbye, but to give his life the dignity it deserved. Farewell gatherings don’t change what has happened. But they change us. They remind us that we’re not alone. They allow us to honour courage, sacrifice, and love. And they give voice to the pain that is too heavy to carry alone. So when we ask ourselves, “Why do we gather?”—the answer is simple: because we need to. Because love, loss, and memory are too big to bear in silence. In a world that often rushes past sorrow, taking the time to come together—whether days, months, or even years later—is one of the most powerful things we can do. Denning's of Strathroy 32 Metcalf St. W. Strathroy www.strathroyfuneralhome.com 519-245-1023
Gathering to Heal: The Power of Farewell by Bill Denning
Last December, in the grip of the winter cold, in the beautiful northeast of Ontario, a trage- dy unfolded that would leave a family—and an entire community—holding its breath. A father and daughter were out for a walk along the river when the ice gave way be- neath them. The father, acting on every in- stinct of love and protection, tried desper- ately to save his daughter. In the chaos and cold, they lost their lives. Shortly thereafter,
she was found. In the days that followed, a farewell ceremony was held for the little girl—a deeply moving gathering that allowed friends, neighbours, and family to surround her memory with love. But for the father, there could be no ceremony yet. His body was not recovered until the river thawed the following spring. For months, his family endured what they later described as “the worst winter of their lives”—haunted by the uncertainty, waiting for a phone call, aching for a chance to bring him home. And when that day finally came—when he was found—it marked not only the end of their agonizing wait, but also the moment they could truly begin to grieve. His farewell ceremony took place shortly after. They needed to gather. They needed to speak his name. They needed to see the people who loved him and who understood the depth of the loss. Only then could they begin to breathe again.
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Hometown Strathroy-Caradoc July/Aug 2025
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