I've been very busy the past couple months on the roller coaster of life! Since my last post, my husband has been dealing with back issues and underwent surgery for a herniated disc. He seems to be healing well and since we are so used to having crazy work schedules, I'm enjoying having him home and spending extra time as a family.
I have continued to do small group presentations on grief. Recently, I was invited to spend an afternoon with a special group of ladies at First Presbyterian Church in Foley. The women were all so warm and friendly! They turned a gloomy day (as far as the weather was concerned) into sunshine in my eyes. We used The Journey of Grief DVD series by Doug Manning to learn a little about the definition of grief, grief as a social problem and what it means to 'get in someone's bucket'. It was wonderful to hear them relate to the messages and share their stories. These truly are some very sweet, special women in the community!
I was also invited to share a morning with a small group from Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church in Rice. We focused as well on The Journey of Grief and were able to learn about grief as a 'natural response to any loss'. Natural and Any are the key words in that phrase. Grief is natural and we need to allow ourselves to have those feelings and understand that the many emotions that come along with it are normal and to be expected. Any loss means that we can experience grief not only when we've lost a loved one, but also in day to day experiences...including something as simple as losing our purse! The more we learn about the process and feelings of grief, the more it becomes less of a mystery and we are able to help ourselves and others cope in healthy ways.
On Easter morning this year, I was asked to be the 'guest speaker' at Graham United Methodist Church in Rice. Graham is the church where I was baptized as an infant and confirmed as a young adult; and is the church my parents, grandparents and many other relatives are still members of today. On Easter morning each year, the Youth are in charge of creating and participating in the Sunrise Service. They did a great job putting together scripture readings, music and even a short skit! When they asked me to be the guest speaker for the service, I was a little more nervous than I typically am speaking for a group. They were interested in my platform of grief. I wondered how I would put something together to fit the excitement that is brought by Easter morning. Fortunately (after quite a bit of prayer!), I came up with a presentation called 'Joy Comes in the Mourning' and talked about how we can find Joy even in the midst of grief. Speaking for church that morning was definitely an experience that stretched me out of my comfort zone and I am so very glad that being Mrs. Benton County International gave me that opportunity!
I have continued to do small group presentations on grief. Recently, I was invited to spend an afternoon with a special group of ladies at First Presbyterian Church in Foley. The women were all so warm and friendly! They turned a gloomy day (as far as the weather was concerned) into sunshine in my eyes. We used The Journey of Grief DVD series by Doug Manning to learn a little about the definition of grief, grief as a social problem and what it means to 'get in someone's bucket'. It was wonderful to hear them relate to the messages and share their stories. These truly are some very sweet, special women in the community!
I was also invited to share a morning with a small group from Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church in Rice. We focused as well on The Journey of Grief and were able to learn about grief as a 'natural response to any loss'. Natural and Any are the key words in that phrase. Grief is natural and we need to allow ourselves to have those feelings and understand that the many emotions that come along with it are normal and to be expected. Any loss means that we can experience grief not only when we've lost a loved one, but also in day to day experiences...including something as simple as losing our purse! The more we learn about the process and feelings of grief, the more it becomes less of a mystery and we are able to help ourselves and others cope in healthy ways.
On Easter morning this year, I was asked to be the 'guest speaker' at Graham United Methodist Church in Rice. Graham is the church where I was baptized as an infant and confirmed as a young adult; and is the church my parents, grandparents and many other relatives are still members of today. On Easter morning each year, the Youth are in charge of creating and participating in the Sunrise Service. They did a great job putting together scripture readings, music and even a short skit! When they asked me to be the guest speaker for the service, I was a little more nervous than I typically am speaking for a group. They were interested in my platform of grief. I wondered how I would put something together to fit the excitement that is brought by Easter morning. Fortunately (after quite a bit of prayer!), I came up with a presentation called 'Joy Comes in the Mourning' and talked about how we can find Joy even in the midst of grief. Speaking for church that morning was definitely an experience that stretched me out of my comfort zone and I am so very glad that being Mrs. Benton County International gave me that opportunity!