“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All the unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat and the hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”
This quote by Jamie Anderson describes the feelings of many of us who are grieving. The funeral is over, the sympathy cards have been read, and it seems as if everyone you know is going on with their lives.
Friends are reluctant to speak of your loss because they don’t want to make you sad, and you are hesitant to share because you don’t want to make them uncomfortable.
It can be a long, dark journey that entangles a myriad of emotions that at best leaves you numb, and possibly stuck and unable to go on in life.
Should we just “suck it up,” or is there a more helpful way to traverse this journey of grief?
There is a danger in ignoring our grief, for it may manifest itself in an unhealthy mindset or habits that can cause harm to ourselves or our relationships. Too many thoughts assail us – the “what if’s,” the “if only’s” and the “why’s.”
To walk this journey alone is a very lonely way to live.
It has long been known that our burdens lessen when we are able to share them with others who are experiencing similar situations. Reaching out to God with our pain and our questions can give us glimpses of eternity and provide comfort and hope.
GriefShare, a grief support group, does just that.
GriefShare is designed for people who are experiencing grief related to the loss of a loved one. It is a nondenominational, faith-based seminar that is offered in Catholic and Protestant churches around the world.
It is designed as a 13-week seminar that includes a video segment, workbook and group discussion.
The video and the workbook address all types of grief and are presented by people who have experienced that type of grief in addition to addressing the issues that accompany grieving. T
he group discussions are more individualized. Each session is complete, and you do not have to attend all sessions.
A new 13-week GriefShare session for the Sauk Valley area will begin from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Sauk Valley Community Church.
This Griefshare support group is for the community and is part of As ONE CommUNITY. For information, call 815-661-6350, or visit www.griefshare.org or www.saukchurch.com.
Please come if you are grieving – alone or bring a friend. You are welcome, and you are not meant to walk this journey alone. You are loved.
Dawn McClure is GriefShare’s facilitator.