Healing Us - Volume 10: COMFORT ZONE CAMP
Healing US - 6/11/2025
Dear Holistic Health Healing community,
Two weekends ago, I stepped into a sacred space — not a temple or a retreat, but a children’s grief camp tucked away in nature, full of laughter, tears, and stories that too often go unspoken.
Comfort Zone Camp is a nonprofit offering free therapeutic camps to kids who have lost a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. It’s a place where grief isn’t hidden — it’s honored. It’s spoken aloud. And more importantly, it’s shared.
I volunteered as a “big buddy” — my first time — and within 24 hours, I was humbled by the depth of healing I witnessed. In our first healing circle, my “little buddy”, a 13-year-old camper, turned to me and asked:
“How have you changed since losing your sister?”
It’s rare someone goes there with me.
My heartbreak answered first.
Then, through a choked voice, I told her the truth: that these four years have changed me tremendously. That grief moved through my body like a storm. That after the initial chaos, something softer took shape. And somehow, in the wake of it all… I changed for the better.
What struck me most is that this kind of question — this kind of presence — is so rare in everyday life. Most people don’t ask about your grief. They don’t know how to hold it, how to stay with it. But these kids — these grieving 13- and 14-year-olds — they understand it. They held space for one another’s losses with tenderness, honesty, and compassion far beyond their years.
Comfort Zone Camp reminded me that:
Grief is not meant to be hidden.
Death should not be a taboo topic.
Healing happens in community, not in isolation.
At Holistic Health Healing, I often say that grief isn’t something to “get over” — it’s something we carry and live beside. This weekend reaffirmed that truth in the most vivid, humbling way.
I saw kids laugh again. I saw them cry, scream, dance, and sit in silence. I saw them feel safe enough to be exactly where they were. That is the magic of this work.
So today, I’m writing to remind you:
If you’re grieving, you are not broken.
If you feel alone in your loss, there is a place for you.
And if you’re someone who wants to give back — to witness, support, and be changed — this camp might be that place.
Comfort Zone Camp is free for families and runs year-round across the country. You can refer a grieving child, become a volunteer, or simply learn more about the powerful work they do. You don’t need to be a therapist to help. You just need to be willing to show up and hold space.
I’m so grateful I did.
With love,
Hilary Bone
Explore or support Comfort Zone Camp:
👉 comfortzonecamp.org
