News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Sparta First Baptist Church is hosting a seminar for those grieving the loss of a loved one during the upcoming holiday season.
The event will be hosted in the Sparta First Baptist Church Youth Room 308 on November 5th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The seminar will showcase videos with counselors, grief experts, and testimonies from others who have lost loved ones. Family Grief Share Co-Facilitator Pamela Sanders said the outreach is much needed for the silent pain many endure.
“My co-facilitator Ruth Wood and I started doing this a couple of years ago,” Sanders said. “Having experienced the loss of my husband of 42 years, it was helpful to have a program like Grief Share to help get me through that.”
Sanders said the Grief Share program ‘Surviving The Holidays’ is helpful for many who lost an important part of their holiday season. Sanders said working to prepare yourself for jarring, unexpected, and unavoidable emotions can help people find hope in the season.
“People go into the holidays with family traditions they’ve had for years,” Sanders said. “They realize one of the biggest parts of those traditions is no longer there to help them enjoy those traditions.”
Sanders said ‘Surviving The Holidays’ provides a surface for a need that is longstanding and widespread.
“People pass on every day,” Sanders said. “We all know someone who has lost someone they love. We are here to help those people get through the difficult grief that is actually a universal emotion.”
Sanders said one tip in trying to still interact with others through the holidays is to contact the planner of a get-together prior to the event. Sanders said this way citizens can explain their situation and why they may have to leave early if overwhelmed while attending.
