COURAGE PROJECT
RESTORING HOPE IN THE WAITING
Restoring Hope in the waiting is what we are all about at The Finding Courage Project where dealing with estrangement is a primary focus. We are dedicated to supporting parents like you who are navigating the challenges of estranged relationships with their children.
Our mission is to create a nurturing community that understands your journey, offer you valuable resources, and walk alongside you. We're here to foster hope and healing, even when immediate reconciliation may not be possible. Our goal is to empower you to discover comfort, joy, and inner peace as you work towards a path of reconciliation.
As a Dad, I found it even more difficult to find a community of men that could hold me up on days that I felt low. If I am being honest, I sadly didn't find my help in the big "C" churches, even as worship leader of almost 20 years in some large churches. So out of a sense of necessity, Krista and I have opened up this site and www.mysoulspace.org as avenues that help create spaces and resources for parents, men, women, fathers, mothers and all the various identities that we hold during the week. We hope more than anything that you lean in and find some comfort here. Stepping out takes courage, and we hope this helps you find yours.
The challenges and emotional toll of an estranged parent-child relationship are undeniably real. We deeply understand that you're grappling with genuine emotions while striving to navigate life with meaning despite the void created by estrangement. This societal issue is not unlike a pandemic, stealing our children and causing an emotional crisis for us as parents, (and especially as fathers -- since I am a Dad, primary contributor, and one very much in this fight with you), that ripples through our personal and professional lives. Its effects extend to our immediate and extended families and even the siblings of the estranged family member. The downstream implications, starting with us as parents, are profound. If left unaddressed, they can have a significant impact on you, your marriage, your familiy, and those around you.
In my story, I shared about the waiting room at my therpaists office. In that waiting room, I began to assign stories to the other people waiting for their sessions. I thought about who else was affected by estrangement and how they found joy in the middle of the loss they were experiencing. I saw moms, dads, wives, husbands, professionals, grandmothers, grandpas, sisters, brothers, friends, and ministry partners - all dealing with the emotional toll of estranged relationships. I wondered how is it these people get by the day to day roles they play, fullfilling their duties adequately, while dealing the emotional phases of the grieving that I know is churning inside.
When I think about estrangement, I Imagine a bridge between you and your child, once sturdy and unbreakable, now strained and fragmented. Estranged parent-child relationships are like this fractured bridge, where communication has faltered, trust has eroded, and emotional distance has grown. You often find yourself on one side, yearning to reconnect, while your child stands on the other, wrestling with their own emotions, unresolved conflicts, and the weight of their decisions. The estrangement is marked by a profound sense of loss, with you missing out on key moments in your child's life, like graduations, weddings, or the birth of grandchildren. Conversations with friends or other family members that used to be filled with laughter and warmth are replaced by silence or strained exchanges, leaving you feeling isolated and misunderstood. The challenge lies in navigating the complex emotions that accompany estrangement – the deep sadness of your longing, the confusion of your child trying to assert their independence, and the fear of potential rejection or judgment. It's a painful journey where healing often feels elusive, and the hope of reconciliation remains but just a flicker in your hearts, even amidst your darkest moments of separations.
If you are in it, you can help by sharing. If you are around it, you can encourage others or maybe just listen and be there for your friends. Or, you can contribute to this foundation monetarily to help with resources that go towards supporting the work that is done, the lives touched, the families hopefully restored. We partner with organizations that offer counseling and other services beyond the scope of what we do and that requires resources. You can help give the kinds of help that otherwise would not be available. Here are some more details about how you can engage in a meaningful way: - Tell your story - Donate Funds to this ministry - Refer friends that need help - Be more aware of others - Contact us for ideas
I'm not entirely ready to share our story just yet. Why? Perhaps I'm hesitant to make it public, fearing it might widen the gap between us. My greatest hope is reconciliation, and my deepest fear is that vulnerability will push us further away. Nonetheless, sharing these stories can be cathartic and healing. When we give voice to our emotions and feelings, they come alive, helping us to move on. So, let me share some parts of our story. We are mid-way through our journey, navigating through stages of grief as if they're marathon stages. The initial phase was frightening and we didn't know how to move forward. We sought help from friends, church leaders, and ministry partners, only to discover that they were not equipped to walk this journey with us. We turned to professionally equipped, faith-based counsellors. Despite my psychology degree and my belief that I could manage my own feelings, I realized this situation was beyond my capabilities. We hoped that counseling could also help us to support other parents waiting for reconciliation. In the waiting room, I began to assign stories to the other people waiting for their sessions. I pondered who else was affected by estrangement and how they found joy amidst loss. I saw moms, dads, wives, husbands, professionals, grandmothers, grandpas, sisters, brothers, friends, and ministry partners - all dealing with the emotional toll of estranged relationships. The question that truly struck me was, who is affected by estrangement and how can they find joy while dealing with loss? The challenges and emotional toll of estranged parent-child relationships are real. The individuals in this waiting room are real people, with real emotions, seeking practical ways to live their lives amidst the void created by estrangement, just like me.
The Prodigal Hope Project is all about the power of stories and encouraging others to find joy in the midst of the struggle. Contact us if you want to connect, share your story, or want to find ways to help our mission to create a community where we can build up the people in our lives that need it most.
