Processing the death of a loved one is hard. One thing that can help people is a grief group, but as Comanche County Memorial Hospital’s Chaplain Paul Gore said, grief groups are not utilized as much as they should be.
“They’re sorta like put over here in the corner,” he said. “It’s for those people who really need it, but the rest of us, we don’t need it. Where really, so many of us could use the group interaction.”
Melissa Dempsey attended Mourning & Meaning last fall. She said she had never thought about attending a grief group.
“But, then when I did, I listened to other people like I’m not crazy because of this or this or this,” she said. “My house is, you know. I can’t get out of bed one day. I’m not the only one that’s going through that thing. So, it’s really helped me, and I’m very thankful.”
She attended the 10-week group held at CCMH, after losing both her mom and dad. Dempsey’s mother-in-law also passed away after the group started.
“The one thing that I really loved about this group was that there’s a book that goes along with it,” Dempsey said. “So you read a chapter a week, you come in after reading a chapter, and you talk about that chapter.”
She encourages people going through grief to come to the group or at least get the book if you’re not in a place where you’re ready for a group meeting. Sherri Wooldridge also went to last fall’s meetings after losing her husband.
“He’s just a great guy,” Wooldridge said. “Just a hardworking simple man, but he had a big, big heart.”
Wooldridge decided to join the group after Daniel Litchford, the Hospice chaplain, told her about it.
“It just felt like I’m more of a talker,” she said. “I like getting those things out in a way where you can maybe learn from them, but my emotions are what I have trouble getting to sometimes, and that’s been wonderful to form these close bonds.”
Because of the bonds built, Wooldridge helped start a monthly meeting for those who have completed Mourning & Meaning.
“We just come in, and a lot of times it’s just a hug and ‘how are you doing?’ People do look forward to it,” Wooldridge said. “We’ve done it now for two sessions, and some people drop out because they’ve had enough, and others want to still come and have that reinforcement.”
Gore said if you haven’t worked through your grief and are feeling alone, this can help you.
“So a grief group, when there are eight to 10 other grieving folks with you, and they’re sharing their story, so you’re not as alone,” he said. “It’s less isolating because you’re with people who are right there hurting as well.”
If you’d like to attend Mourning & Meaning, the next session starts on Sept. 9. To sign up, give the hospital a call and ask for Chaplain Gore. He says if you missed the first session, it’s ok and to still give him a call.
Copyright 2024 KSWO. All rights reserved.