Sunday after worship twenty people attended a grief workshop organized by our pastoral care committee and Beth, our pastoral care worker. We coordinated it with the Sunday of Hope in the Advent season.
Amongst the participants were folk who have experienced the sudden death of loved ones, others who have struggled with the passing of aged family members, and at least two who are trying to make sense of the "loss by inches" of partners with dementia. I looked around and saw people who have lived through great sadness and have been incredibly strong as well .
My wife Ruth attended and said that it was well organized and presented. She also commented that at the end of the session three of the men in attendance shared their thoughts on coping with grief and that their comments were very meaningful.
At the beginning I welcomed the group and quoted our United Church statement of faith "In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us, we are not alone." It seems to me that so much of the struggle with loss has to do with a feeling of isolation in the shadows. A couple which attended the workshop has recently returned to church after an absence of years, other than the "high days." They both lost elderly parents in recent months and were surprised by the depth of their grief. They shared with me before the event that coming back to church on the "All Saints" Sunday when we recognized departed members and others was of great comfort, so they keep coming. In this season anticipating "God with us" in Christ, this is good news.
Any comments on your own challenges with loss and grief this season? Were any of you in attendance?
Part of what makes grief so difficult is the suddenness of its onset. It doesn't matter if someone dies without warning or after a long illness - that reality is always like a slap to the face.
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange thing ...
Tomorrow is the funeral of a 58-year old woman who was diagnosed only a month ago with cancer. She was the caretaker of our church. I sat with her husband yesterday and planned her funeral. He talked about how much the church had done for the family during this time and I talked about how much she had done for the church and how much she meant to all of us.
ReplyDeleteIt is a difficult time for the community. Our community is filled with grief. Tomorrow will be a difficult day.
A grief workshop sounds like a good idea and I have pondered offering one. It's good to hear that it was such a good resource to so many.