In 2018 we lost our eldest daughter Stephanie to a lymphoma cancer tumor that we were unaware was growing between her heart and left lung. She was 14 at the time and attended a friend’s house for a birthday party sleepover where she suddenly collapsed and never regained consciousness. A few months later we heard about St Matts Service of Remembrance through friends from our church in Cranebrook who had also lost their daughter a few years earlier. We came along with them as they told us how it helped bring them some peace and comfort, which is something we needed with Christmas only a few weeks away.

We have found the service to be warm and welcoming, and despite the tragic nature that brings us all here, there is a real bond being in the company of other bereaved parents, as they are the only people who truly understand how you feel. We enjoy listening to the prayers, the story of Horatio Spafford, the hymns and the beautiful singing from the local school children who give up their time each year to perform for us, as well as the opportunity to lay a flower at the front in remembrance of our daughter. Most of all, we love hearing the names of all the loved ones who have passed being read aloud, it is validation that all their lives mattered, never to be forgotten.

It is always nice to have the opportunity to chat with others in attendance after the service with the lovely supper that is provided.

We give thanks to God that our daughter Stephanie put her faith in Christ Jesus, and we continue to strive to do the same in the knowledge that one day we shall be reunited with her again when God calls us home.

Tim and Keri-Anne