Remembering Lost Loved Ones During Christmas Season

[syndicaster id=’6122047′]

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Going through bereavement can be a tough thing to endure.
On Sunday, the Compassionate Friends Support Group chapter in Tupelo hosted its 7th annual Candle Light Service for those who have lost a child, grandchild, or sibling.

This gave many people a chance to resolve their grief following the loss of a loved one.

Losing a child is never an easy thing to deal with, and no one knows that, better than J.J. Jasper.

“My son Cooper and I were riding in a doom-buggy and we were going up and down the dirt lanes on our family farm, just a father and son having fun, daddy and his boy making memories,” Jasper said.

But that fun memoery, soon turned tragic.

“After we finished riding, I was just gonna do what we always called a donut.  I turned the wheel, floored it, the Dune-buggy then spun around, something went terribly wrong, and it flopped over, and when I checked on Cooper, he was still buckled in, it was just a freak accident and he had broken his little neck.  Our only son at the time, Cooper, died in my arms, July 17th 2009,” Jasper said.

Jasper said words could not describe the pain he felt.

“Parents are suppose to out live their children,” he said.

It has now been nine years since Jasper has lost little Cooper.

He said, forming a relationship with Christ was the only way he and his family were able to cope with the loss.

“We didn’t want to turn to drugs or alcohol, we didn’t want to be paralyzed by grief, and God has been faithful, his grace is sufficient, he has helped us to put one foot in front of the other,” he said.

But Jasper isn’t alone.

He along with several others came out to the compassionate friends Candlelight service to pay respect to their loved ones during this Christmas season.

“Not everybody has the same reason why their child may have passed on before us, or whatever the case may be, but we all grieve the same,” Co-Chairman of the Compassionate Friends Support Group Elizabeth Stamper said.

For many families, dealing with a loss during the holidays amplifies the hurt.

But Jasper said, knowing that he will one day be able see his son again is what keeps a smile on his face.

“We know that we’re going to be able to spend more time with him in heaven than we did here on Earth, and that gives us hope.”

The Compassionate Friends Support Group meet every fourth Thursday at the North Mississippi Medical center at 6 p.m. to help resolve the grief for anyone who is having trouble coping with a loss.

Jasper has also written a book and a documentary to help provide hope to families struggling with a loss.  Visit his website www.jjjasper.com for more details.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *