We are so happy that we are finally able to offer our drop-in grief support group again. People are able to come and grieve in community – with others who are experiencing the same thing. I love Tea Time, I find it amazing to watch a group of people, all unique and all having their own unique grief experience, all coming together to share stories and care for one another. It is wonderful to see bonds form over the common experiences of their grief.
It happens every week, without fail, people find ways to come together to grieve. They give each other permission to feel what they need to feel and to talk about what they need to talk about. Everyone that comes in the door realizes that it is a safe place to grieve.
Having said that, sometimes people just want to listen, they don’t want to talk. That is okay too. The person who doesn’t share is getting just as much from listening to others as the people who want to share.
Often people come back many times, they become regulars. These people encourage others to share as they work their way through their own grief. They are familiar with each other’s stories and still are open to hearing from others. There is an “easiness” with them.
Sometimes, we come together to grieve and instead start talking about life in general. I love the laughter that can erupt at the table. Oh yes, there is room there for joy too. We weave in and out of grief, we teach each other through our stories, and we care for each other – not by giving advice, but by witnessing and acknowledging that we too feel these things, or have had the same experience, or have found ways to move forward.
Tea Time for the Soul is every Wednesday afternoon at our Solace Center, please call to register.
Denise Torgerson
Community Programs
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