When a loved one dies, responses happen immediately. The memorial service is planned and held. Caring folks bring food and call and send cards. Friends visit and want to sit and talk. But soon these sympathetic gestures taper off. The house gets quiet and the painful reality sets in that our loved one is gone. There is a new “normal” when we would rather have the old normal.
We at Ardmore recognize grief is a long journey. Throughout the first year after the death of a loved one, we send letters along with small booklets from the Journeying Through Grief series. The aim of these four booklets is to assist family members in moving through the first year after the loss of a loved one.
Recipients find me to tell me how helpful they are. Receiving these books weeks, months, and even a year after a death reminds them their faith family continues to pray for them even when it seems like the rest of the world has moved on. Along with the support of friends, family, and fellow church members, sharing these booklets is another way we wrap our arms around the precious souls in our midst who have experienced loss. And it makes a difference.
– Gina Brock
