Remembrance - The Empty Spot
| Category: | Remembrance |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For later, after the first grief has passed: the troop's first campout or campfire after a loss, an anniversary, the last campfire of the year, or summer camp. Gentler than the first-meeting minutes, and works whether the person lost was a Scout or a leader. Check with the family if the anniversary is close. Part of a series - see also remembrance-one-of-our-own and remembrance-a-leader-we-lost. |
Every campfire has a circle. And sometimes, when we sit down around it, we notice a spot where someone used to be.
Tonight, some of us are thinking about (name). It's been (a few months / a year). The first weeks were the hardest. Some of the hurt has gotten quieter since then, but it hasn't gone away, and it doesn't have to. Missing someone is how we know they mattered.
Here's something I've noticed. We talk about (name) differently now. At first, it was hard to say their name at all. Now somebody will say, "Remember when they did that?" and the whole patrol will laugh. That laughing isn't forgetting. It's remembering the right way, the way they'd want us to.
So tonight, let's do that. If anybody has a memory of (name) they want to share, a funny one, a small one, anything at all, now's the time.
(Leave room for Scouts to share. Don't push. If nobody speaks, that's fine. Share one yourself to make it easier.)
The spot in the circle is still there. It always will be, a little. But look how many of us are sitting around this fire, keeping it warm. That's what a troop does.
For leaders: Grief can bring a crisis with it, for Scouts and for adults. If anyone is struggling or talking about harming themselves, get help right away. In the US, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7. Outside the US, Find A Helpline lists free, confidential helplines by country.