About John French
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My name is John French. I was born in January of 1968. I own and operate a small remodeling company in Highland, MI. My wife Michelle and I married very young and we celebrated our 20th anniversary in May of 2009. We had two amazing children: Veronica, who is 20, and Brandon, who was 17. We worked very hard to build a life that would afford us the luxury of giving them all the things we never had, including a stable home, committed loving parents and every material thing imaginable (within the means of a middle class family, I should add). Over the last few years, it seemed we had finally arrived, and living was easy. Then Brandon passed away in August of 2009 from an undiagnosed heart condition. The devastation of that one single moment has crushed our view of reality and cast us down into a state of perpetual winter. I’ve been writing all my life, though not publically. Brandon’s death has so overwhelmed me that I can no longer contain my thoughts. Although my stance is undermined by despair, and frosted by the bitterness that follows the loss of my son, I will labor to plant some seeds of promise in the barren future that I'm so unexpectedly tilling. Perhaps something beneficial will stem from my mourning. If you can gather even a grain of hope from my reaping, it may help to sustain you through your own emotional storm. Reach John at j0hn_french@hotmail.com or through his website http://j0hn-french.webs.com/.
John French's Articles
Despite Pain of Child-Loss, ‘Surrender is Beneath Me’
I am hastened into facing another day. Woken by the onslaught of my mourning.It is a struggle to keep the sorrow at bay, as it strikes me without warning. The terror impacts me the instant …
Despite Spring Thaw, Bereaved Dad Feels the Cold
The wheel of time can spin sunshine into a frozen shroud, making the heart cold and weary and the eyes reluctant to look upon the day.
As the spring begins to unfold, I can see how …
Child-Loss: When the Heavens Go Dark
Out beyond the silence of eternal night,
within the void of voiceless echoes,
between the folds of dark and light.
In somber streams of starlight.
In the waves of ebb and flow.
Heaven exceeds eternal planes.
Though, it remains closer then we …
Taking a Rest on the Journey through Grief
Grief is an incredibly difficult venture, a monumental climb from the pit of despair. It is an absolutely exhausting venture that drains you physically and weighs heavy on your mind. As I look back on …
Facing the Early Days of Grief
It’s overwhelming to face a tragedy that you never saw coming.
Grief rises up suddenly from the meadows of life like an insurmountable peak. The base is vast and panoramic. You can see nothing beyond the …
Woman Loses Organs to Cancer, Still Revels in Life
Caregivers Need Time to Let Go
Respecting Boundaries When Comforting a Grieving Heart
Shhhh…Listen Closely. It’s the Sound of Someone Healing
Loss of Husband Makes Life Doubly Hard
August 19: Guest Rev. Robert Phillips: Topic: Speaking the Unspeakable
