The Enchanted Cottage — Orange, Texas
WHERE EVERY BIRTHDAY GIRL BECOMES A
PRINCESS AND MOM
CAN RELAX AND BE QUEEN!
It was a “Work and Jam” night at The Enchanted Cottage on Saturday night. Jillian and Hannah got the meeting started in song, and then the session began.
So, what is a work and jam session? It went something like this: The kids answered questions in their workbook on previous lessons taught, sometimes drawing pictures about their life, and then we jammed and discussed the questions concerning their life. Kids began openly telling of their loss and expressing their feelings about it.
I confess that it was a dream-come-true for me as I saw children writing and drawing pictures about their life. It so reminded me of what H. Norman Wright had said in his book, Recovering From the Losses in Life.
“Children are often over-looked during a time of loss and the pain that accompanies it because:
- Sometimes adults, unintentionally, get caught up in their own pain and they fail to recognize that their child is also hurting.
- Often times, a child’s pain is overlooked because children do not express their pain in ways adults recognize.
- Probably the #1 reason children are overlooked during times of loss is because the primary adult in the child’s life just simply doesn’t know how to help the child.
Those statements are what put a passion in my heart to write Helping Hurting Children. And that’s what the adults at The Enchanted Cottage are doing on Saturday night — getting involved by listening and giving our best shot at guiding the children through The Grieving Process as they bring their loss to the surface, along with their feelings about it.
The night ended with Glen passing out arm bands like the one Bubby the Rabbit is wearing on his arm.
As you can see, the logo is: “I’m a Winner” with the scripture on the back: Jeremiah 1:4-8, which reads:
I knew you before you were formed within your mother’s womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.” “O Lord God,” I said, “I can’t do that! I’m far too young! I’m only a youth!” “Don’t say that,” God replied. “For you will go wherever I send you and speak whatever I tell you to. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I, the Lord, will be with you and see you through.”
Stephanie summarized that verse to the children by saying: “Sometimes we think that we don’t have the ability of doing what we feel that God wants us to do because of our youth, or because of things that have happened to us. But, God assures us in these verses that He formed us and He is the one who gives us the ability and power to become all that He created us to be.
My thanks to all who have gotten involved in helping hurting children in our community, especially to Bob and Kim Forman for inviting me to teach the workshop at the cottage. My prayer is that you, too, will get involved in helping hurting children in your church, school, and community. With your help, they can learn ways of coping with losses in their lives.
For more information on how you can become involved, leave a comment or send me an email, and I will be glad to help you find the way that works best for you or your organization.
Join me next week as we end our workshop with a discussion on Forgiveness.
You don’t want to miss
“What’s going on at The Enchanted Cottage”
on Saturday nights in Orange, Texas.
The night began by passing out my workbook which was donated to the children by Karen Stevens.
After the books were passed out, I began teaching the lesson on Recognizing and Expressing Feelings. I pointed out that just as God uniquely designed each of us to look different, He also designed us to express our feelings in a way that is suited best for us. Some of those ways are: (1) Talking to Someone You Trust (2) Crying (3) Writing (4) Drawing or Painting (5) Dancing.
Next, a live demonstration of another way of Expressing our Feelings was presented by Eugene Gill, Praise and Worship Youth Leader at Community Church. Eugene sang and played his guitar, followed by engaging the children in singing along with him.
They graciously invited me to teach a four-week workshop at the cottage, based on my book, 
Oh yes, I kid you not – -the death of a pet of any kind has a tremendous impact on a child, especially one so tragic as the way Timmy (not his real name) explained his pet’s death.