If the coming holiday season is your first following the death of a loved one, there will be moments when all is not merry and bright. Maybe it’s the empty seat at the head of the table at Thanksgiving, or the absence of the dish your loved one always prepared. Perhaps it’s your first time picking out Christmas presents since you were married more than 50 years ago, because your spouse always loved doing the shopping.
While no one expects grief to be easy, it’s hard to imagine what may trigger a bout of deep sadness. It helps to be prepared in those moments, and to have the support of others who have been in a similar situation.
For this reason, the Stephen Ministry at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church is bringing back the Surviving the Holidays class it offered several years ago. The goal of the class is to help people who have lost loved ones cope with that loss during the upcoming holidays.
The revived class is being held in the church’s youth wing Sunday, Nov. 13 from 3-5 p.m.
“We feel like it’s very helpful for people who are grieving,” said Cathy Brown, a co-organizer of the class. “Grief can creep up and kind of blindside people, and it helps to plan for what may be coming down the road.