The Compassionate Friends/Chattanooga, Tennessee

06/14/2026

Today, Sunday June 14th we will share a meal, offer support, and hold space for the fathers in our chapter as we remember the children who will always be a part of their lives.

05/05/2026

A shared story from a bereaved mother.
They say that siblings are the forgotten mourners and I believe this to be true. Their grief eventually forgotten in time by all, even their parents, blinded by the loss of their child, unable to “see” their remaining children through their own pain. My two forgotten mourners, lost their brother tragically and suddenly. Torn from their lives in a instant, he was gone and they were left here without him. Not only did they lose a brother they lost the parents and family they once knew. Nothing would ever be the same again, including themselves.
As parents losing a child, we received overwhelming, unconditional love and support from family and friends, we still do to this day. When young people lose a sibling, the support and love they receive from family and friends is immediate and heartfelt. But as the months go by that love and support they received so intensely dissipates and gradually disappears. It’s as if their grief had a timeline, a beginning and an end and it’s now over. As they grow and mature so does their grief. Their grief will never get better, it becomes different and the loss of their brother becomes much more real. He was their big brother, our oldest child and he was only 24 years old.
How do my surviving children reconcile who they are now and their place within a once happy and whole family. Their brother is missing from everything, from the ordinary moments and from the extraordinary moments in their lives. He was and always will be their brother. The older they get the more complicated their grief becomes. I wish I could make it stop and return to them our once “normal” and “happy” family life. But I can’t. It’s another grief I carry. The world can be cruel and people can be unkind, judgemental and simply careless with the hearts of others, including the broken. I want to protect them, I want to shield them from anymore hurt and pain. But I can’t. I know they will find their way, they already are. And I will always be one step behind them as they navigate this life together, without their brother. 💔💔💔
- Artist Credit: Unknown via Pinterest

04/27/2026

Please note….our May meeting will instead be our annual Mother’s Day picnic on May 3rd.

04/12/2026

We welcome you to join us today - Sunday, April 12th at 3:00 if you have lost a child, grandchild or sibling of any age or reason. We will share some memory cards and reflect on these cherished memories as we keep them alive in our hearts.

03/08/2026

Join us at our meeting Sunday, March 8th at 3:00.

Many times we notice meaningful moments or signs that feel like reminders from our child, grandchild or sibling.
Please join us for gentle sharing time as we talk about these that has brought us comfort, hope and connection on our grief journey.

02/08/2026

Join us for our meeting at 3:00 - Sunday February 8th.

February often centers on love and for those grieving that love never ends. This meeting will offer a compassionate space to share the ways we continue to love, honor and stay connected to our child, grandchild or sibling through memories, rituals, acts of love or just quiet moments that keep the love present in our lives.
There is no right or wrong way to love and sharing is always optional.

01/17/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1bY36d3Kpr/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I saw someone today who mentioned you, and for a moment, time forgot how to move 🤍

Your name slipped into the conversation so gently, like it had always belonged there.
No warning. No preparation. Just your name — and suddenly, everything felt closer.

I didn’t want that moment to end.
Because for a few heartbeats, you felt real again.
Not a memory.
Not a loss.
Just you 🌙

It’s strange how something so small can carry so much weight.
A sentence.
A smile.
A shared story.
And suddenly my chest feels full in a way that hurts and heals at the same time 🌿

Knowing others still remember you does something beautiful to me.
It reminds me that you mattered — not just to me, but to the world you touched.
That your laugh didn’t disappear.
That your kindness didn’t fade.
That your name still lives on, spoken softly, lovingly, honestly 🤍

Sometimes grief feels lonely, like I’m the only one still holding you close.
But moments like this whisper a gentler truth:
You’re still carried in more hearts than I can see 🌼

I smiled, even though my eyes burned.
Because love doesn’t vanish when someone leaves.
It spreads.
It settles into stories, memories, and quiet conversations between people who cared 💫

I carry you with me every day, but hearing you remembered by someone else feels like proof that love outlives loss.
That you’re not frozen in the past.
You’re still here — in laughter, in warmth, in the way people pause when they say your name 🌸

There’s comfort in knowing you’re not forgotten.
That your presence still lingers, even when the world keeps moving.
It makes the ache softer.
It makes the silence kinder 🤍

So if someone mentions you again tomorrow, or next year, or long from now — I hope they do.
Because every time your name is spoken, it feels like you’re being loved all over again.

And knowing that…
It makes my heart smile in the quietest, truest way 💛

01/10/2026

Join us Sunday, January 11th @ 3:00 as we share our thoughts and feelings now after the busyness of the holidays and how we may feel as we start a new year in our journey of grief.

12/10/2025

In lieu of our regular meeting, we will be having our candlelight service Sunday, December 14th at First Centenary United Methodist Church in Chattanooga from 6:00 - 8:00 pm ( please arrive by 5:30). Please bring a free standing picture of your child, grandchild or sibling and a covered dish and appetizer or dessert to share after. We will have special music, readings and light our candles in remembrance of our precious loved ones.
This is the TCF world wide candle lighting event. 🕯️

11/27/2025

Thinking of all our chapter members. May your precious memories bring some comfort and peace.