Ted, the Wesenberg family’s young son, died in a terrible accident in their backyard pool. It changed their lives forever. The event caused a downward spiral of sadness, guilt, and shame that almost broke the family apart.
As the days went by, Linda and Paul, Ted’s parents, became more angry with each other. They fought all the time, and each one blamed the other for what happened. Their surviving son, Clark, felt lost and alone, missing his brother greatly and struggling to deal with the changes in his parents.
It was late one night when Clark had enough. He couldn’t stand the nonstop fighting and feeling like no one was paying attention to him. Putting together a small bag, he set out to find comfort and peace at Ted’s grave.
Clark didn’t know there was danger close as he sat by Ted’s grave and poured out his heart and shared his deepest fears and worries. There was a group of teens in black robes in the graveyard who were planning to cause trouble.
The teens were about to attack when Mr. Bowen, a nice stranger, jumped out of nowhere and chased them away. He looked out for Clark and gave him hot chocolate and a shoulder to cry on.
As the night went on, Clark told Mr. Bowen about the problems his family was having and how lonely he was. Mr. Bowen talked about his own loss. In a plane crash, he lost his wife and child. He told Clark some wise things and told him to be thankful for what he had instead of sad about what he had lost.
At the same time, Linda and Paul were looking for Clark like crazy, feeling more and more guilty and worried by the minute. They were so thankful and relieved when they finally found him at Mr. Bowen’s house, safe and sound.
When they heard Clark and Mr. Bowen talking, it hit them hard: they had been so upset and guilty about their own loss that they had forgotten about their son who was still alive. They told Clark they were sorry and thanked Mr. Bowen for being nice.
The Wesenberg family slowly got better over the next few months. They grew to value the time they spent together and each other. Mr. Bowen became very close with the family and was always there for them when they needed help or advice.
Even when things look the worst, there is always hope, as the Wesenbergs’ story shows. This shows that if we are kind, caring, and ready to listen, we can get through even the hardest problems and find a way to heal and move on.
