Mourning Dove Counseling

The road to recovery from this event was slow and, in many respects, continues to this day.  In coping with this fundamental break from their previous lives, the Delaplane's were comforted by the attention and concern of friends and family.  Over time, as acceptance has set in and new memories have been made, the residual pain of Nathan's death has lessened and given way to an increasingly less transient sense of peace. 

 

In 2001, Gary began to see his job at DuPont as a way of simply obtaining a paycheck and less in line with the capacity for healing that God had made possible for both him and Elvira through the tragedy of Nathan's death.  By the next summer, Gary applied for early retirement from DuPont and, with Elvira’s encouragement and support, ended his 28-year career, which, though chosen, nonetheless created a palpable loss of structure in both their lives.  At the same time, Elvira found working in the school system increasingly tiring and less meaningful than it had been for her previously.