SPRINGFIELD -- Losing a loved one, especially a child, is never an easy thing to deal with. The school shooting tragedy in Connecticut is causing many families to grieve right before the holiday and in Springfield, those families who've lost their kids, have advice for those parents.
Springfield families have a place to grieve called The Children's Memorial. One mother who came to the memorial Friday night, just hours after the Connecticut tragedy, says her main advice is to take it one day at a time.
"The current was so strong, it just pulled him under," said Mary Massie, who lost her son Christopher Massie last July.
He went swimming with friends at Buckcreek, when tow of his friends started struggling in the water from the current. Massie went in to save them, got caught in the current, went under water and never came back up.
"He was good and noble and strong for what he did, and words cannot express how much I appreciate what he did, and how much I loved him," said Ashley Richardson, one of the friends Christopher saved.
To grieve, Richardson and Massie's family come to The Children's Memorial.
"It's rough, he was 23 years old, never got into any trouble, he was the best child anyone could ever ask for," said Mary Massie.
At the Children's Memorial, a Christmas tree now shines light for those lives lost.
One by one, Chris's friends and family place an ornament on the tree. It's events like these that help them grieve and Massie advises those Connecticut families, who recently lost loved ones, to do the same.
"I do things because I can come here, I don't want to go to the place where he drowned, because that's a sad place, this is a happy place," Massie explained.
She said although it will take time, those families in Connecticut will heal.
"Take it one day at a time, I mean that's all you can do, I dealt with it in the way I could and I'm still dealing with it," she said.
Springfield families have a place to grieve called The Children's Memorial. One mother who came to the memorial Friday night, just hours after the Connecticut tragedy, says her main advice is to take it one day at a time.
"The current was so strong, it just pulled him under," said Mary Massie, who lost her son Christopher Massie last July.
He went swimming with friends at Buckcreek, when tow of his friends started struggling in the water from the current. Massie went in to save them, got caught in the current, went under water and never came back up.
"He was good and noble and strong for what he did, and words cannot express how much I appreciate what he did, and how much I loved him," said Ashley Richardson, one of the friends Christopher saved.
To grieve, Richardson and Massie's family come to The Children's Memorial.
"It's rough, he was 23 years old, never got into any trouble, he was the best child anyone could ever ask for," said Mary Massie.
At the Children's Memorial, a Christmas tree now shines light for those lives lost.
One by one, Chris's friends and family place an ornament on the tree. It's events like these that help them grieve and Massie advises those Connecticut families, who recently lost loved ones, to do the same.
"I do things because I can come here, I don't want to go to the place where he drowned, because that's a sad place, this is a happy place," Massie explained.
She said although it will take time, those families in Connecticut will heal.
"Take it one day at a time, I mean that's all you can do, I dealt with it in the way I could and I'm still dealing with it," she said.
