To serve others: the highest calling

Sometimes "groundbreaking" isn't an adjective you'd want applied to you:

Now, however, there is a group of nine people from across the country, including Naismith, whose contact information can be given out so those who have lost a loved one serving in the military can talk to someone who can truly empathize. All nine of the people in the group have lost a loved one who was serving in the military.

...

The bereavement group became one of the services offered by Veterans Affairs Canada under the Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program (OSISS).

The program was initiated by Marley Leger, who lost her husband Sgt. Mark Leger in a friendly fire incident Afghanistan in April 2002. She wanted to see a peer support service put in place for bereaved family members of those who lost their lives while on duty, according to information from the OSISS program.

Naismith said the peer support group is called and given the contact information of a person who has lost a family member and has authorized OSISS to pass on their information to someone in the group.

Then it is up to the person from the support group to make contact. Naismith said the first call can be awkward but it is mainly to introduce herself and set up a time when it would be better to talk.

“This is not counsel. It’s just to reach out your hand and say, ‘I know how dark that tunnel is and I’m standing here on the other side,” said Naismith, who would have welcomed such a call when her husband died.

It takes extraordinary courage and compassion to reach out to help others while you are hurt and need help yourself. I commend those in the bereavement group, and hope they are called upon as rarely as possible.

What selfless service.

[Thanks to SDA for pointing this important story out]