March 17, 1999

Teen tells peers how to handle life loss
___WACO--"Getting through a major life loss is not for wimps," according to Texas Acteens Panelist Amanda Muecke.
___But for the Christian, every dark Friday of pain is followed by a Sabbath of rest and a Sunday dawning with new life, she told fellow Acteens during the statewide IMPACT conference in Waco.
___Muecke, a Texas

AMANDA MUECKE

Acteens Panelist from First Baptist Church in McKinney, led a conference designed to teach teenage girls how to help their peers deal with major life-impact events.
___She spoke from personal experience. March 6 marked the third anniversary of the day her Aunt Penny was killed in her Austin home.
___Passing each "first" after the murder--first Christmas, first birthday, first family reunion without Penny--was especially hard, she said. But on each occasion, she recalled finding a bright new penny on the ground. "Sometimes, God reaffirms his presence with us in very tangible ways," she said.
___Through a process Muecke called "two T's and two W's," teens can learn to "find a new normal" or help their friends learn to restore balance after a loss:
___ Think. "Don't beat yourself up if you find yourself thinking about the loss a lot. That's part of the process," she said.
___ Talk. A grieving person needs to communicate thoughts and emotions with someone else.
___ Weep. Crying provides a natural outlet for releasing emotions and expressing sorrow.
___ Write. Recording impressions in a journal helps a grieving person process feelings, ideas and impressions.

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