Grief brings challenges – loneliness, fear, anger, regrets, and much more. Donna James joined a GriefShare Group several years ago after losing her mother. Donna had been her mother’s caregiver and the loss was hard. “It is a program for those who have lost someone close to them – a spouse, child, parent. It is important that the loss was at least six months or more before attending the group. If someone comes too early, it is just too raw,” Donna said.
James, who for five years shared her experiences as her mother’s caregiver in “Mondays with Mom” on Now Habersham, is the Minister of Music and Children at First Presbyterian Church of Cornelia. She facilitates the group with Charlise Rowley, Student Resources Coordinator for the ESL program under Volunteers for Literacy. The group will meet on Mondays from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Cornelia located at 469 North Main Street, Cornelia.
She understands what it is like to struggle and how vital the support of GriefShare was for her. Grief is different for everyone. Getting through it though is necessary for everyone and no one should take the journey alone. Finding the right group of people experiencing grief is vital.
Her motivation to facilitate the group came after recently losing her best friend. Having been through it after the loss of her mom, James understood how necessary it is in helping to get beyond the heart pain and look toward the future. Life continues even when those who are grieving can’t imagine that life could move forward. GriefShare will give the tools necessary to find a way to “be” even when it seems impossible to do so.
James added, “I was able to draw on my experience of grief in a different way. I allowed myself a quiet time of reflection which was very different than before Grief Share.”
The group meets weekly for 13 weeks. Each session starts with a 30-minute video. An expert on grief-related matters speaks on various topics followed by stories from people who have experienced loss. It helps to relate with those who have been through similar struggles and the insight gained answers questions about the emotions experienced during the grief process.
“Most people aren’t grief experts, so the material from the videos can help learn what experts have learned about grieving,” Rowly explained. “Also on the videos are interviews with other folks who have experienced loss. It can be normalizing to hear others share what has happened to them.”
Rowly has participated in three different GriefShare groups in three different churches. She expressed the importance of knowing one of the vital takeaways is that we don’t mourn alone. It helps to be with those who are grieving too.
For more information, please call the church office at 706-778-2822. You can sign up before the starting date of classes or come the first night. The first class begins on Monday, September 9.
