Grief Support

Six of us met this week to start a grief support group in our town, which I am facilitating. It’s an idea I’ve had for over a year now, and one whose time has come.

I used Facebook for gathering people interested in participating. Along the way, a meeting place was offered. My first idea had been to start it in my own living room, but it seemed like more people were interested than would fit.

The first meeting was for telling our stories. It’s amazing how much a group brought together through grief can have in common. It’s still a challenge for me to listen and not comment, but it’s so important to do. I shared my own story of family loses and my friend’s death from suicide. I shared my pain and grief as an opening to let others begin to tell their stories.

I laid out some ground rules at the very start, which included not giving advice unless requested (and it usually isn’t) and letting all members have equal time to talk. There were no problems voiced concerning these or the other ground rules. This will help the meetings run more smoothly.

I heard from two more people who plan to come next week. My prayer is that the group meetings will help members find common ground and an avenue for exploring their grief in a safe environment. Obviously, I will not share any details in this blog or on Facebook.

I’m here to listen and love you.