Friends Along the Road intends to build or inspire a network of bereavement sanctuaries around the planet, safe places in which people in grief may stay or live without being pressured with any sort of agenda. The first sanctuary will be located in Colorado, possibly near the town of Delta because of its relatively stress-free and fruitful environment. A natural, rural setting, with animals, aquaculture, organic gardens, edible landscaping, and lots of fresh air will be amenable to contemplation and comfort. In this peaceful environment the bereaved will have the space and time in which to face loss on their own terms, if and when they so desire. Or seek consolation and/or healing. Friends Along the Road supports the idea of healing, but we don't push it. The idea of caring support is centered around the concept of not being pushy. Healing tools and positive frames of reference will always be available to those interested in learning to live with their grief.

The facility will be staffed by trained professionals. Physicians and counselors will always be on call. David and Judy Pierce will live on the premises, directing activities, overseeing all the projects, and most importantly, attending to the needs of the guests.

In time the sanctuary will become a community of folks dedicated to living healthfully in a country setting with a minimum amount of stress and a maximum of privacy, friendship, sociability, and chances to practice techniques of natural living and bereavement work. It will be a model community with windmills, solar power, and home-grown food. More importantly, it will be a place for the bereaved to get away from societally-imposed stresses, and have an opportunity to cry, meditate, talk, be silent, be celebratory, socialize, be by themselves, get angry, seek healing, or just be.

As the philosophy of safe havens for the bereaved becomes recognized, other bereavement sanctuaries will be built, and a network of compassionate friends will spread, providing safe, unconditionally-accepting places in which the bereaved can face death, or just relax for a time, if rest is what they require.

You can help the first Friends Along the Road Sanctuary come to life. Please make a tax-deductible donation of $20, $50, $100 or whatever amount you can afford. Or volunteer to help David Pierce on his Big Walk from Florida to Colorado. The purpose of the walk is to raise awareness about bereavement support, to help people establish sanctuaries wherever they are, to honor those who have died, and for us to learn from others about living with the deaths of their loved ones. David will be grateful to carry with him on the Big Walk the names of your deceased family members; at journey's end he will erect a special memorial to them in Dillon, Colorado. He will also be getting the stories of the people and families represented by the roadside markers along his route; these individuals will also be honored in the memorial project. The names of these people will, per each family's approval, be listed in a special section of David's book this 2,000-mile journey of discovery.