The holiday season has ended and a New Year has been ushered in. This time of year can be difficult as the New Year’s rush is over. The holidays can be cruel reminders that a loved one or a way of life that has disappeared. No matter what the cause, grief over loss is hard to deal with and can take on a life of its own.  Grief touches each one of us in our lives at some point and it is never easy.

Some of us have experienced loss over the Christmas season and are left with common questions such as, “How do I go on?” or “How do I move forward?”  These are important questions and issues to address and sooner than later.  There are ways to make it through the process of grief in healthy ways as well as myths about grief that help us grieve well.

In response to the issue of grief, First Presbyterian of Natchez is hosting a workshop entitled “Healing after Loss” which is open to the public from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday to address the issue of grief.  The event will be held in the Fellowship Hall and a nursery is provided.  The workshop will address issues of grief, loss, fallacies of grief and introduce ways to support the grieving.

The event will be led by Dr. Larry Michael who serves as parish associate at South Highland Presbyterian in Birmingham, Ala.  He has worked extensively dealing with grief and loss. Moreover, he has lectured around the world on the topic.  He has worked with both clergy and laity to equip them for dealing with it in their ministries as ministering to those who are grieving in his work in the Church setting.

Again, grief and loss touch us all and we hope you will take this opportunity to prepare yourself to deal with it as well as minister to others in their grief and loss. You may contact the Rev. Noelle Read at revnoelleread@yahoo.com or 601-442-2581 for more information on the event.  Again, it is open to the public. We hope you will take advantage of this event.

 

Denny Read is the co-pastor at First Presbyterian Church Natchez.