CSC Good Friend

On August 11, 2013, Cheryl and Bob Krajcsik, owners of  the non-profit, charitable Captains Sharing and Caring, invited bereaved parents on a sailboat cruise out of Hamilton Harbor Marina. The Krajcsiks are commemorating the death of their two and a half year old daughter Heather by offering the cruise to other parents who are suffering as they are, hoping to alleviate some of their pain. I was included as the mother of the recently deceased Zane Bond. Although one never gets over losing a child - in the Krajcsik’s case, it is 28 years since Heather’s death - the cruise was a beautiful occasion, in which parents were able to mourn their lost children in the company of empathic others. The highlight of the trip was when each parent was given flowers to toss in the water, with a loving thought of his or her child.  As I wrote to the  Krajcsik’s, “I’m sure somewhere Zane is looking down on us and smiling.” Cheryl answered, “ I know Zane was with us, so was Heather, as we tossed our flowers and thought how much they mean to us.  I think they are with us every day, in the clouds, in the songs I hear, in so many things in nature.” The ship carried us over gently rocking waves, with a glorious sunset as a backdrop, as though Heaven itself wished to pay tribute to our beloved children. A famous psychoanalyst (Karl Abraham) once said, “My loved one is not gone, for I carry him around inside of me, and now I can never lose him.”  Cheryl and Bob do even better: They give grieving parents the chance to bring our deceased loved one outside of ourselves and share our love with others. What awesome people Cheryl and Bob are! They have made Heather's death the occasion to celebrate the lives of many other departed children. The boundaries of the Krajcsiks’ great hearts do not end with parents of bereaved children.  They also run cruises for disabled children of all kinds, including those with serious illnesses. If you are the parents of such a child  and wish to give your child and yourself an unforgettable experience, contact the Krajcsiks at captssharingcaring@comcast.net, or 717-514-6278.
                                                             by: Alma Bond