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Care Conversations:
A Journey in Exploring Grief
2024-9-10 | Kelli Holland
We all experience loss in different ways. Whether it’s losing a loved one, facing the loss of a broken relationship, or dealing with a difficult health problem, grief impacts all of us. With the intention of supporting each other in authentic community, we at ECC will soon have the opportunity to further explore this challenging experience together.
Over the next few months as an outflow of our Care Team ministry, we will offer three Care Conversations. Our hope is that these Care Conversations will open up discussion about this difficult topic, that we will learn more about it and grow together in our understanding of it. During each meeting, we will introduce an aspect of grief in a time of teaching and then have the opportunity to share experiences and ask questions. (Sharing is always optional!) Although grief is not an easy topic, it is essential that we become comfortable talking about it so that we can receive support in hard times. As David Kessler, a grief expert, has said, “No matter what or who you are grieving, everyone shares a need for their grief to be witnessed.”
In our first Care Conversation on October 10, we will examine what grief is and explore types of grief. We will see that grief encompasses many kinds of loss and is as individual as each of us. We will discuss the importance of why we need to talk about grief more and explore the power that witnessing grief has in helping someone feel supported and seen.
After the holidays, we will continue with two more Care Conversations. First, we will talk about the importance of listening and presence for those going through difficult times. Our last conversation will be quite practical as we will learn about good things to say to those who are grieving and good things to avoid. It is so important that we seek to comfort and encourage those who are hurting and our words matter so much.
I have yet to meet a person who has not experienced life challenges or painful circumstances. Together, we can explore how to support each other, how to carry each other’s burdens and how to grow in learning about grief. Please join us for our very first Care Conversation on Thursday, October 10 at 7 pm in the Great Room!