Hello Friends!
Every Tuesday evening, I attend a GriefShare support group. This group is held at my church. This session I am attending right now is my fourth session. It’s a 13 week program that is designed to help through the grief process after losing a loved one. When I initially started going, I had recently lost my dad and a very dear friend who was more like a sister. I was still married at that point as well. We typically bring snacks or food of some sort and that is how the weekly meeting begins. We eat and enjoy each other’s company and conversation. Then a video covering the week’s topic is shown. After that, we discuss the video and talk about our own feelings as they relate to the video. We then close in prayer. I really enjoy the group and the fellowship as well. The 13 topics that are covered are:
- Is This Normal?
- Challenges of Grief
- The Journey of Grief – Part One
- The Journey of Grief – Part Two
- Grief and Your Relationships
- Why?
- Guilt and Anger
- Complicating Factors
- Stuck
- Lessons of Grief – Part One
- Lessons of Grief – Part Two
- Heaven
- What Do I Live for Now?
There is a workbook that goes along with the sessions as well. It is titled GriefShare: Your Journey from Mourning to Joy.
This week is week five four us so it covered grief and relationships. It mentioned how sometimes, friendships can be lost after you lose a loved one. This is because sometimes that friend just isn’t sure how to respond to the loss. They just don’t know what to say and are uncomfortable and so they back off.
My losses this time around are not due to death. This time it’s mostly job loss and loss of marriage. But they are losses nonetheless. To be honest, at times I feel my marriage loss due to divorce seems more difficult than had I lost it due to death of my spouse. I don’t know maybe not?
Although, a divorce, when it’s not what you wanted affects your self-esteem in negative ways. I’m only just now seeing that the divorce was probably actually a good thing. I’m seeing the errors of his ways and that I am better off without him and deserve much better. Just because he was the one that wanted out doesn’t mean I did something wrong or that there is something wrong with me. I’m still a very loving and caring person. I can be a very loving wife to someone else who is more deserving some day. I just don’t know when that’ll be. It’s not for me to decide I guess. Only God knows. But I will admit that being so lonely is no fun! There are many times when I wish I had that loved one next to me to cuddle with. I just have to be patient. Some day my prince will come.
I encourage you to try GriefShare if you need a support group for grief. They do have a website and a facebook site as well.
Wherever you are in this beautiful world, I wish you peace, love and happiness.
❤ Dottie
