If you have lost someone you love, you may find it very difficult to feel optimistic about the future. You may feel that you will never feel happiness again. You may feel that God has forgotten about you. Whether you have lost a parent, spouse, child, family member or friend, you may have found that it seems that very few people really understand the deep hurt you feel and the multitude of emotions you are experiencing. Only those who have been through the same kind of grief and loss can truly understand.

Grief Recovery is simply feeling better. It is the ability to find joy in life again. It is to treasure the memory of loved ones, to miss them and to live better because of the time in your life that you spent with them. Grief is not an enemy or a sign of weakness; it is a sign of being human. If we had not loved deeply, we would not grieve.

That’s the reason for GriefShare, a special seminar and support group for people who are grieving the loss of someone close to them. This group is sponsored by people who have survived their own losses and who want to offer you comfort and encouragement during your difficult times.

The GriefShare Recovery Support seminar is a 12 week video series featuring top experts on grief and recovery subjects. A few of the speakers include Kay Arthur, Joni Eareckson Tada, Dr. John Trent, Elisabeth Elliot, Dr. Luis Palau, Dr. Larry Crabb, along many others. The series is narrated by Bill and Holly Dunn of Wake Forest, N.C. Bill holds a Masters degree from Princeton and Holly is an emergency room physician. The videos include on location scenes of real-life stories of people who have experienced losses in their own lives.

After viewing each video, the facilitators will lead the group in a discussion of the material , share their own experiences and give group members a chance to do the same. Each session will emphasize the biblical teaching on grief and recovery topics. Grief knows no time table. Whether you have suffered a loss in the past year, or in the past 10 years, you are welcome to join this group.

Facilitators for the GriefShare Recovery Support seminar at WFR are Royce and Carol Ogle who each lost their former spouses in 1997.

Call Carol at the church office, 396-6000, to enroll for the seminar.