The first weekend of September shone with beautiful sunshine. Perfect for a trip to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, steeped in history. Ten families accepted our invitation for this trip. The local youth hostel offered us cozy accommodations, good food and short distances to the city center. A view from the room window offered a direct view of the beautiful castle church.
Our weekend began on Friday with a small coffee gathering. After all the families had checked into their rooms and eaten dinner, we spent the first evening together in our group room. This included remembering our little and big deceased children. Each family lit a candle for their child. Thus, the little angels became a part of our group. They were with us. We thought about them and talked about them. There was laughter and tears. Everything was right and important.
The next day we explored the city in Luther's footsteps. First on the agenda was a visit to the panoramic picture LUTHER 1517 by Yadegar Asisi. After lunch we continued with a guided tour of the city and for coffee we met at the Schlosspavillon Café. Families with young children visited the nearby zoo and a police unit present invited the children to take a closer look at a police car and meet the police dogs. On their own, some families visited the castle church and its exhibition rooms or explored the old town again on their own.
In the evening, everyone met again in the group room. A special picture frame was made as a souvenir, and a Wittenberg quiz provided merriment for the group. Again there was a lot of talking and all feelings found their space.
In this community the families could let themselves go. No one was alone. All the children were part of the group. The grief and pain could be better endured together. The families gained new strength and power. This made them more confident about their own future.
So on Sunday after breakfast we could say goodbye to all families. It was an all around successful trip. All of them are now looking forward to seeing each other again soon at the Kinderplaneten, shortly before Totensonntag in November... or to next year. Because then there will be another weekend trip.
