Grief Share And The Guys 10/6/2026

 Good Morning,

I am enjoying a hot cup of Door County Wisconsin Harvest Blend Coffee and it was a much needed one. It is time to write. 

Ecclesiastes 3:4 There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh. 

There is a time to mourn and a time to dance. 

I have been attending a group session at our church for several months now. It is called Grief Share. The meetings are designed to help folks who have suffered a loss through the death of someone they were close to. Some of the guys attending lost their wives recently, one lost their mother, or a child and I lost a grandchild. 

The group meets faithfully on Monday nights, and watches a video, then discusses and answers questions from a study guide book. Last night we gathered at our home to celebrate the completion of the book. Of course lasagna and garlic bread was on the menu.

I am being completely honest when I say that I needed this class  to help me along the way of mourning the loss of our grandson. 

My point for the day is this. Life moves so quickly and during the grieving process, there seems to be a time set in our  minds as to how long one should grieve and what type of grief might deserve more time. How to grieve can only be answered by you. Each experience has a different answer for each different person. 

I am here to say that sharing experiences, and showing the reality of our hearts, open and honestly was a new approach for me, but it worked.  My wife Rene helped me serve the food up and she sat with all the guys and listened. She chimed right in which is unusual for her. Later she said, I felt good being in the company of the fellas and being the only woman. It was good to hear them chat and tell some stories about their loved ones. Ths stories reminded me of times we had with our grandson. Last night I was reminded just how much our grandson like garlic bread nd ho he helpd me produce it for bigger family dinners. 

Rene is not too talkative. And she doesn't share her feelings much either. But I watched her last Christmas rushing through a box of Christmas tree ornaments to put the one up with Dominick's picture on it. She also asks me about the sessions I have been attending, when I get home on Monday nights. 

Here is the point. Everyone grieves differently and the time of grieving cannot have a calendar tied to it. Your job to help someone in the grieving process is to "Be there". To the one who is grieving, don't be too proud to obtain some help and lean on a friend or two. You should have seen the smiles on the faces of the guys when they chatted last night about some of the things they did in the past with their loved ones. 

Food for thought. 

Marty