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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThough Jamie wanted to hate \u2014 though she wanted to lash out in anger \u2014 she decided instead to choose love. She needed an outlet, a place where others who are hurting can find healing and a community to grieve alongside them. When April came into the world, she changed Jamie\u2019s life forever, and now, her tragic death would change the lives of everyone who entered the doors of the Grieve With Me Community Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy husband, Jeremiah Dickerson, has been my rock,\u201d said Jamie. \u201cWe met when I was 14. April\u2019s birth changed our lives as young teen parents, and her death has changed our lives again. We held onto our faith and to our marriage through it all. When I told him I felt led to quit my job and open the grief center, we were living in a camper and losing our home. We didn\u2019t have the financial means to do so. But 45 minutes before I met with the landlord, I was gifted the last $700. Jeremiah and I have complete faith that we will be provided for.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jamie continued, \u201cI chose to open the grief center because April loved giving back to the community, and I wanted to continue her legacy. Don\u2019t allow a circumstance to change the person you were meant to be. Grief will morph who you are. We have to choose if that change will make us worse or if it will make us better. I have been through every parent\u2019s worst nightmare, but I refuse to allow the devil to steal my faith through this tragedy. My favorite quote since my daughter passed is, \u2018It\u2019s okay to not be okay!\u2019 Everyone always asks, \u2018How are you doing?\u2019 We are not obligated to say that we are okay because it\u2019s okay to not be okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Grieve With Me Community Center opened its doors in November as a free resource for our community. However, donations are appreciated and accepted. The center offers support groups for adults and youth, game nights, book clubs, a shoulder (or more) to cry on, and proactive ways to process grief, such as through art and music therapy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRunning the grief center helps me in processing my own emotions. Talking to others about their grief and helping them through the five stages (denial, bargaining, depression, anger, and acceptance) of the grieving process reminds me that a grief journey is just that \u2014 it\u2019s a journey. There really isn\u2019t a destination, but we keep moving forward on a path of healing so that we can help others.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jamie said that if she could give a gift to everyone who visits, she would give the gift of hope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHaving hope allows for a future to be seen. Grief affects people physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally and often takes the feeling of hope away. I want to help restore hope by offering a place where those who are grieving can channel their emotions and begin to add beauty back into their lives.\u201d GN <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JAMIE DICKERSON lifted her palm from the steering wheel and waved goodbye to her 9-year-old grandson. \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a few minutes,\u201d she assured him. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to open the grief center, I have to meet the landlord.\u201d Pressing her lips together, she gave him one last reassuring nod before the door closed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":23625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/shelbyville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/DSC_0245-1024x683.jpg\")
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