When we lose someone we love, the stress is often increased by the pace at which the world seems to force us to move forward. We would like for the world to stop so that we could grieve until we feel ready to return at our own pace. Our human nature moves us to only do what we have to and avoid as many of the “firsts” as we can because the first time of anything ( breakfast, dinner, bedtime, the weekend, birthdays, anniversaries ……. ) we know will be very difficult. If you have lost a loved one then you already know this all too well and you also know there are some things that you simply cannot avoid.

The markers that are part of our time in this life cannot be avoided because they are tied to our very lives by real dates and times. The markers of  birthdays and anniversaries, mentioned earlier, are one day personal markers that are difficult but still often managed by avoidance and distraction. The seasonal markers of the holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas are quite different in that these represent a season of time that was more of a collective experience.

Surviving the Holidays

This can make the holidays especially painful and difficult to manage and these simply cannot be avoided no matter how recent or painful our loss. While holidays can be the peak of our joy in the year they can also be the peak of our pain and fear. It seems like all we see are happy families enjoying the holiday season while we are mourning the hole that death has left in our lives. It brings us to ask the very real question of “ how can I survive the holidays?”  

Whether or not you have already taken a step on your journey by attending our GriefShare support group we are burdened by your heartache and despair.  We would like to offer a place of rest and preparation for the upcoming holidays. We are  making our facility available for this GriefShare – Surviving the Holidays Group Workshop to help you in this difficult time. Workbooks will be provided at no cost on the night of the group event.

We are not asking for any donation, and we are not selling anything. Our goal is to extend the love of Jesus Christ to anyone that needs some support and direction in their time of grief. It is our fervent prayer that you will follow up with us and make plans now to attend this upcoming event on November 3, 2022 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.