SUN CITY â Matt Meyer, a former pastor and founder of the Grief Support and Life Enrichment Group, began last Fridayâs weekly meeting with a soft, chiming bell.
With that tone, the group, which is described by members as âfellowship,â âfamily,â and âtherapy,â began as it has since 2004, with guests sharing anything on their minds.
Members appreciate that the group has stuck together for years, unlike hospice or other grief groups, which typically last for a few weeks or months.
Grief is a lasting struggle, say members, and it is not just something to âget over with.â They say that being alone after a loved one dies makes seemingly routine tasks and events feel different and often painful.
The group also serves as a feedback source for members who want to know how others deal with their grief.
âWhen youâre all alone, you donât have anybody to bounce things off of anymore, so you donât know if youâre nuts or, am I normal feeling this, or, am I abnormal?â Carol Michael said. âAnd then you find out, oh, somebody else felt that way too, so youâre not such a crazy person.â
The groupâs longevity has led to a structure where those who have been coming for years â the âseasoned grievers,â as some call themselves â can serve as mentors for newer members.
Meets Fridays from 10 a.m.-noon in Community Room of PNC Bank (Just across Rt. 47 from Sun City)
For more information, contact Jan Adams at 847-659-8556 or Diane Jensen at 224-569-6869.
It took a while for this system to develop, however. During the groupâs earliest meetings, raw nerves abounded.
âEverybody that came to that first meeting had just lost somebody, so we all sat here and cried,â Jan Adams said.
Today, there are noticeably more smiles than tears, and more laughter than sobbing.
âWe have had some days where itâs been very tearful, but I have to say, even on those days, we have generally ended up with some laughter,â Teri Brandstatter said.
Laughs often trail stories of family get-togethers, anecdotes from last weekend, or any other topic that comes to mind as the group also shares daily life topics.
âWe need to give Matt [Meyer] a lot of credit; he lets us expound on whatever we need to talk about,â Donna Wood said.
When members have had a chance to hear each otherâs concerns and thoughts, Meyer closes the program with inspiration readings derived from Bible passages.
This ever-developing group is about to go through another change. Meyer is planning to step down as its leader by the end of the year. The group is planning to continue and is currently searching for a new leader to facilitate discussion.
Though in a transition period, the group remains open to new members. They continue to send invitation cards to those who have recently lost loved ones and welcome anyone interested to stop by on a Friday morning and see what they are all about.
Many members agreed that prior to going through the loss of a loved one and the subsequent grief, they had no idea what it truly was like.
âI wonder [about] how many people, before I went through this, I said at a wake or speaking to a person, âOh I know just what youâre going through,ââ Adams said. âI didnât have a clue.â