Reflections on Hope – Missing People Family Forum 26th September 2015

Earlier this autumn we held our Family Forum, which is a time for those affected by missing to come together. We're able to hold this forum each year thanks to funding from Big Lottery Fund and this year the theme was 'hope'. Here are some of the thoughts shared.

Hope is what you live in everyday, it’s all I’ve got. Am unlikely to ever get answer

Hope that Missing People can keep doing what they’re doing

To have a safe space to talk where I can be open and honest about how I feel

Hope that people can be directed to support very quickly as it was a while before we found out about Missing People

Hope changes very quickly especially when a person is over a certain age 

Hope that she’s out of pain, resting, that she didn’t suffer 

If he’s alive, that he’s thriving and hasn’t forgotten us, that he’s being cared for 

Hope that Presumption of Death gives us closure in absence of her 

Hope is transient. In the beginning we were very hopeful that she would be found quickly but as time goes on realising that she won’t have lasted

Can’t let go of hope

Hope is all you have

Hope that police don’t have their budget cut and that they don’t take this away from spending on missing person investigations

Hope that we can be a more caring and joined-up society

Hope that when people are found that they and their families get more support so that they don’t go missing again

Hope for myself, it’s not just my child” 

Hope to keep on having the strength to one day be able to face up to the outcome, whatever that may be

Hope that I’ll build knowledge and strength to not only manage myself but also to help others, help society, other families who have someone missing helps me to cope 

Hope to be able to accept what is happening

Giving up hope can feel like “letting go”? 

Having someone missing is like doing a jigsaw puzzle but the last piece is missing

Hope it’s alive in the daytime, but at night-time fears take over 

Hope can be a driving force, to keep going, to keep the person alive

Hope can change and be different at different times

Hope is a long term thing – more than just a word

Your heart can tell you one thing, and your head another 

You think about the impact on other people in the family – that some people will pass away, never knowing what happened

Hope comes with fear 

It’s difficult when some members of the family don’t want to talk about it anymore

Hope can be a tease, preventing us from really accepting thing

Different family members may not agree about what might have happened and how to deal with things – you have to find your own way…….