Health & Wellness
It is Better to Have Loved? There is a famous lyric by Nat King Cole: “Is it better to have loved and lost, Than never to have loved at all? I wonder, I wonder, As my lonely teardrops fall.”
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t is not possible to experience great love and joy in a relationship without feeling sadness and loss when the one you love is no longer with you. Although I am by no means an expert on grief, I have served as a volunteer facilitator for a GriefShare group over the past four years. During that time, I have learned a great deal about the process and effects of grief from over 100 participants I have met along the way. Grieving has been described by group members as “the most difficult thing I’ve ever done”, “agonizing”, “relentless” and “allconsuming.” The process of grief is different for each person. Some may be overwhelmed for a time, but eventually are able to rebuild their life. Others may never return to the person that they were before losing their loved one. In either case there will always be memories and grief. The key difference I’ve noted between those who are able to rebuild their lives and those who cannot move forward is realizing you cannot do it on your own. When those who are grieving engage in a structured support group, they realize they are not alone in their grief. They listen to others and discover that they are not losing their mind when they are unable to perform normal daily activities after the loss of their loved one. They also hear that the feelings of guilt and anger are very normal, and that there is a big difference in feeling unhappy with life and not wanting to live. Grief is a personal journey. It is impossible to bypass grief, but there is help available along the path, not only from friends, family, pastors and counselors, but also in the form of structured grief groups like GriefShare. If you or someone you know is traveling this path, know that there are people out there who can help. One group member stated that the GriefShare group experience, “helped me to own how I felt inside and brought about an inward healing that was paramount in allowing me to move forward in my own life.” Another said, “GriefShare put me in touch with other people experiencing grief. I met and bonded with several people who had lost loved ones. Now I can understand our pain, and with the help of GriefShare I was able to begin to heal.” A third said, “The leaders were welcoming and caring. There were videos with experts on the topic of grief and group discussions where people talked about the feelings they had and their reactions to their grief experiences. I learned that although we shared many of the same feelings, the process and progression of grief was different for each of us.” GriefShare is a national, non-denominational organization that provides the guidelines and materials for GriefShare seminars. GriefShare gatherings provide help and comfort to those who are grieving the loss of a family member or friend. The thirteenweek session includes video seminars by grief experts, group discussions of the seminar material and material for personal study and reflection. You can visit GriefShare.org for more information. A GriefShare group will begin on Sunday, March 6th at 3:00 p.m. at the Clayton First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall located at 91 South Main Street, Clayton, Georgia. You may register in advance at GriefShare.org, or you may register at the first session. You may start anytime during the thirteen weeks, because the thirteen-week cycle occurs a few times each year. If you start any time after week one, you can pick up what you missed in the next cycle. You can get more information about the current session by emailing claytongriefshare@gmail.org. or by calling 706-782-4426.
74 - www.laurelofnortheastgeorgia.com - March 2022
