Letter From TAPS: We’ve Got You Covered

Winter can be a harsh, bleak expanse of empty days and introspection. We understand that, as another season slowly unfolds; we often consider how to face another spring without our loved ones. That’s why we pledge to be with you all the time and everywhere. For more than 22 years, TAPS has stood ready to embrace you in a moment of need - whenever it may come.

TAPS is not a resource for only one season or for one late-night helpline call. We'll never stop being there for those moments, but we want you to know that - whether it be an especially hard grief day or a spectacularly ordinary "new normal" day, we're still in this together. 

You're not alone. That's our message. We incorporate that mindset into everything we plan for you. Our care for you is purposeful: opportunities to meet other survivors who share your experience, connections to benefits that relieve the worry of funding a higher education, Peer Mentors who walk beside you as you navigate grief. We want you to join us in celebrating when you receive your careful birthday message, to feel the respectful humility with which we select Good Grief Camp Mentors that match a child's needs, and to consider expeditions and wellness challenges that spur you to try the extraordinary. This edition of the TAPS Magazine is no exception. 

We invite you to celebrate the accomplishment of Bonnie Carroll, our treasured friend and inspiration. Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom was not an individual honor, but recognition for the entire TAPS family that we each have the ability to break through the icy waters of grief and find the freedom to move toward hope and healing. 

Our commitment to be with you is not limited to your emotional experience but also extends to your physical location and time. Where will you be for Memorial Day? Perhaps you will pause with your fellow Americans at a hometown parade to remember the love and sacrifice of those we lost. We hope you will join us in Virginia for the 22nd National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp. We have new and exciting ways for you to connect with each other during this weekend of honor, including through our new TAPS NMSS mobile app. Over the next two months, all the information you need to make this the best seminar ever will be right at your fingertips. 

But, TAPS is not just on the East Coast. We are with you in locations across the country. Whether you're cheering with teams4taps or running with Team TAPS, we've got you covered mile after mile. Our 2016 event list offers something for everyone no matter how long you've been a part of the TAPS family. Meet us for intimate retreats, quiet moments around a summer campfire, and stay through the year for seminars, mentoring and support from the foremost experts on grief and bereavement. Find ways to be involved where you are as you turn these pages. 

We are your TAPS family and we love you, 

Bevin Landrum, MA
TAPS Magazine Editor