What a strange name, right? When Jill (our co-founder) was 7 years old, her brother, Derek, was killed in an automobile accident. The trauma sent her mother into years of depression. Her father ‘checked out’ in many ways. Jill was passed around to extended family members while her parents were in a tailspin. When Jill was 21, her father died of heart issues – Jill believes it was from a broken heart. When Jill was 42, her mother died of pulmonary fibrosis. In short, Jill is very acquainted with grief. When our friends lost their teenage daughter, Katie Beth, in a similar accident, Jill watched as that husband, wife and siblings handled the trauma with much more grace. And Jill committed to supporting them however necessary. We determined then, we wanted to help families walk through the pain and help build support networks for them.
7, 21, 42 – all multiples of 7. In the Bible, the number 7 is the number of perfection and completion. In Jewish practice, when there is a death, family members “sit shiva” for seven days. (shiva is the Hebrew word for 7). There is a “ministry” of presence (just being nearby) that we believe is one of the hallmarks of our calling. So we try to help others by Living Seven.