‘Surviving the holidays’

0

The Buckskin Community Church will host a grief seminar entitled Surviving the Holidays on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m.

Organizer John Losey told The Times-Gazette that the seminar aims to help those who may be grieving a loved one get through the holiday season.

”People have more problems dealing with their loss around the holiday times because things are different. That person who you lost is not there anymore, so you’re missing that seat around the Thanksgiving table and the Christmas table. You might be missing that shopping spree you used to do with them. It always makes you think fond memories of the person who you lost, and people just have a hard time dealing with that,” Losey said. “The DVD gives tips on what you can do, especially if you’re entertaining or going out to a social event.”

Losey, who lost his daughter Hannah in 2007 to a car accident, said the seminar comes at the end of the grief share counseling program he and his wife Brenda have organized for the last 10 years.

“We’ve learned that it serves all types of losses: accidents, diseases, suicide. The grief share is exactly what the name describes — it’s sharing. We found out that it takes some people time to start opening up, but you can’t bottle it up, or it’ll drive you crazy,” Losey said. “We have a common bond of having lost someone very close to us. It’s just hard to go out there and talk to just anybody. But if you’re talking to someone who shares a common thread, then it can be a little easier. We don’t badger anyone to say anything if they don’t feel like saying anything. We like to give everyone a chance to share, and we just try to let them know that there’s people there for them.”

The Loseys organize two grief share counseling sessions a year: one in the spring and one in the fall. John Losey cautions people that they’re not counselors, just people who also know what it’s like to lose someone. Both the seminar and the grief share program are free, Losey said, because the Buckskin Community Church pays for the workbooks. Donations are welcome and will go back to the church, Losey said.

The Buckskin Community Church is located at 2862 Church St. in South Salem. All are welcome. Those who are interested in the 13-week grief share counseling program, which will begin again around the end of March, should contact John Losey at 937-403-8297 or [email protected] or Brenda Losey at 937-403-8098.

Reach McKenzie Caldwell at 937-402-2570.

Seminar to help those grieving will be held Sunday

By McKenzie Caldwell

[email protected]

No posts to display