Worldwide event will create 24-hour wave of light

Dear Annie: When a child dies in your family, the world changes and you will never again be the same person. Life goes on, but priorities change, and remembering the child who has died is an important way of traveling through your grief journey to the other side. The holiday season is especially difficult as old traditions often give way to new, more meaningful traditions that help to remember the child, sibling or grandchild who has died.
That is why The Compassionate Friends created the Worldwide Candle Lighting. The Compassionate Friends is a self-help bereavement organization for families that have experienced the death of a child. This year marks the eighth anniversary of the first Candle Lighting, and tens of thousands of families worldwide will participate from countries around the globe.
The Worldwide Candle Lighting is held the second Sunday in December, this year on Dec. 12. At 7 p.m. local time, each person lights a candle that burns for one hour. Candles are first lit just west of the International Date Line and an hour later in the next time zone, eventually creating a 24-hour wave of light to remember all children who have died, no matter their age or country of origin.
I would ask your readers to join The Compassionate Friends and allied service organizations by lighting a candle at home with friends and family, or attending one of the hundreds of planned services throughout the United States.
For more information on this touching tribute, visit The Compassionate Friends at www.compassionatefriends.org or call, toll-free, (877) 969-0010. We also ask that your readers visit our Web site on Dec. 12 and place a memorial message in our online Remembrance Book. Patricia Loder, Executive Director, The Compassionate Friends, USA
Dear Patricia Loder: We appreciate the opportunity to ask our readers once again to participate in the Worldwide Candle Lighting in remembrance of all the children who have died. The loss of a child, no matter the age or circumstances, is one of life's harshest blows. Please light a candle next Sunday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., and remember every child who is no longer with us.
Dear Annie: My wife and I have been married for one year but don't see each other much because we're both in the Army. Lately, she hasn't wanted to talk to me. She says she needs to "find herself." I care about her, but I'm not sure I want to be with someone who doesn't want to be with me. Any ideas? Arkansas
Dear Arkansas: It's difficult to maintain a healthy marriage when you are separated for long periods of time, and even when the two of you have the opportunity to live together again, you will need time to rebuild your relationship. The Army offers counseling, and you and your wife should each make use of it.
Dear Annie: I am a 26-year-old female attending a community college that includes programs for special-needs students, of which I am one. There is a male student in one of my programs who often makes fun of me.
This has been going on for quite a while, and I don't know why. This student has a condition known as Asperger's Syndrome. Can you tell me anything about it? Anonymous College Student
Dear Student: Asperger's Syndrome is a developmental disorder, often associated with autism and characterized by poor social interaction -- which you already have experienced. Perhaps there is a counselor at your school who can give you pointers on making friends with this student. For more information, contact www.asperger.org or MAAP Services Inc., P.O. Box 524, Crown Point, Ind. 46307.
XE-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@com-cast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox™, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, Ill. 60611.
Creators Syndicate
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