Grief Recovery

The emotional pain we experience after the death of a spouse is normal. Grief changes over time and within each individual’s own time table, however, it is beneficial in the healing process to share one’s own experience with the help of a support group.

Widowed of all ages are encouraged to attend our 6-week GRIEF RECOVERY series that helps deal with grief, loneliness and other issues related to the grief process.  It is especially helpful during the first few years following the loss of a spouse.  Our Grief Recovery sessions are facilitated by trained members of Widowed Friends and will be held at the following locations: 

                    Our Lady Of Loretto Catholic Church
    17116 Olympia, Redford, MI 48240 (6mile & Beech Daly)
                   Sunday, Jan.9 - Feb.13, 2012, 1:30pm

                   SS. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church
             41233 Ryan Road , Sterling Heights, MI 48012
                 Sunday, Jan.15 - Feb. 19, 2012, 2:30pm

St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church
343 South Main Street, Romeo, MI
Sunday, Feb. 19 - Mar. 25, 2012, 12:30pm

Widowed men and women of all faiths are welcome to attend these sessions.                                

If you would like to know more about Grief Recovery sessions, call Cheryl at 586-246-6389 or insert your name and phone number below and press the Submit button.

Parishes that are interested in offering a Grief Recovery program, please insert the information below and press the Submit button.

It provides a short one-page daily reading for a year. It is not a book to read straight through. If read daily, a page at a time, it will provide fresh insights gradually, as we move through our pain. Some days you will think that it was written just for you! The author writes: “Eventually we will find our way through this particular valley of the shadow and while there may always be a tinge of sadness, there will come a sense of our own inner strength and our ability to rejoice in the life we have shared and to look toward a future in which the loved one, though not physically present, continues to bless us.” This is not a book to get at the library. You need your own copy to read day by day as you gradually find that inner strength.

       
“Tear Soup” - A Recipe for Healing After Loss
            By Patricia Schwiebert & Chuck DeKlyen

 There are a number of books designed to help children understand death, but it is more difficult to help children understand the grief of the adults around them such as a parent or grandparent. If you have children or grandchildren who are sharing grief with you, it could be helpful if you would read this book together. It has large, colorful illustrations that appeal to children. The compassionate story-telling will help YOU identify your most helpful supports. You will recognize among your friends the ones who want to give advice, the ones who have no idea what you are going through and the real friends who grieve with you.

"The Healing Journey Through Grief….
          Your Journal for Reflection and Recovery

….by Phil Rich is a source of comfort and guidance.  It is designed to help you work through the emotions, thoughts and memories that surface when you have lost a loved one.  It invokes the healing power of writing to provide you with means for collecting your thoughts, sorting out your feelings and taking an active part in your own recovery.  Dr. Catherine Sanders describes it as “A wonderful guide for the bereaved.  This journal provides valuable information, but it also allows the griever to make his or her own way through the painful mourning process.”

"Surviving Grief ... and Learning to Live Again" 
                  by Dr. Catherine M. Sanders   

As a therapist specializing in bereavement and one who has experienced significant personal loss, Catherine Sanders points out that we all go through common experiences or phases in dealing with grief.  This book examines different experiences of grief, discusses the factors that increase problems in resolving grief and offers compassionate guidance for working through the different stages of the mourning process.  Highly recommended as a helpful tool by professional and group facilitators alike.  This book is a must read.

My Teacher’s Name is Grief "
                   by Madeleine Miehls

One of Widowed Friends Young Widows has written a book and what a book it is! The book tells Madeleine’s story, in her words, about the lessons she has learned while moving through grief. We can all benefit by listening to her message.  Through a story of love and hope, she makes us believe that there really is a silver lining at the  end of  a dark tunnel, but we have to work to reach it. The book offers words of wisdom, and each page includes an  illustration to complement the text. Don Rush, assistant publisher at The Oxford  Leader, summed it up best in his review: “What a wonderful simple book or is it simply wonderful?”  This wonderful book is available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com online.    

“Getting To The Other Side of Grief”

          by Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert C. DeVries – 1998 Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI.

The authors of this book write about their own professional and personal experience. Susan is a licensed clinical psychologist who faces the issues of grief and loss regularly in her practice. Bob is an ordained minister and teacher who deals with the issues of grief in a pastoral context. Both have experienced the death of their spouse. The collaboration of this book is a result of their own personal grief journey. Each chapter addresses specific issues in the grieving process from both the psychological and the spiritual perspectives. The primary metaphor of this book is that of a journey. This is not to suggest that there are stages or phases to the grief process, but rather that there are some significant landmarks along the way that help those who are widowed accomplish necessary tasks in order to move to the other side of grief. This book is in its 11th printing and is definitely a recommended read.