It was June of 2010 when Cathy Brown unexpectedly lost her mother. In the midst of grieving and anticipating the holidays without her mom, Brown’s son passed away.
“Up to this point in my life, I had never lost anybody close to me,” says Brown. “When I lost my mom and son within six months of each other, it ramped things up to a whole different experience.”
As a result, Brown has a real heart for people who are grieving, especially during the holidays.
“Unless you have really experienced grief, you don’t realize how much it physically drains you,” says Brown. “I encourage people to be patient with themselves and to be very intentional about exercising and getting enough rest. People are better able to handle the emotional roller coaster of grief when making healthy choices.”
In navigating her own journey through the grieving process, Brown has led a Griefshare group at Signal Mountain Presbyterian.