June 2023

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Good morning, my Dear WPS Friends,
 

Interest in bereavement support counseling has mushroomed in recent years. WPS wants those widowed to be able to go forward with their lives. We provide the tools, and we have established that our Grief Support sessions work and have worked for over 40 years with hundreds of the widowed now able to go on with their lives in a satisfactory way.
 

Our unending quest is to continue reaching out to the many newly widowed in our community (and there are many!) so that those in the North, East, South and West are aware that we are available to them. If they can get to us, we are here for them. Our Facilitators are trained in widowed Grief Support, and there is no charge for this service.
 

You can do your part, too. You may hear of a widow or widower who is a neighbor, church member, or someone you talk to in a grocery store. Invite them to our Grief Support sessions. Let them know how it helped you. Give them our web page address, wpstc.org, so they can find out about us. We really don’t want to be “the best kept secret in town.” Let your doctor, dentist, optometrist, and others who are aware of those who are widowed know about us.
 

                                                                   For those newly widowed….
 

TAKE YOUR TIME. Life is not fair. You must find a way to live with an unfair life, to live without the one you loved. How to begin? Maybe with a completely new start somewhere that will take you away from painful memories? So, why not sell your house? Move to another city? Really start all anew.
 

WAIT! Your judgement is uncertain now. Getting used to a new life takes time and thought. Too many people have impetuously left their familiar settings only to find greater confusion and uncertainty…. Postpone major decisions if you can.
 

WALK, DON’T RUN! Take time to sort out your new life. There will be difficult days for those of us who are grieving, like holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries, but take heart…. Grief will lessen!
 

                                                                           From an old saying….
 

“You cannot plant an acorn in the morning and expect to sit in the shade of the oak that afternoon!”
 

I wish all the fathers a Happy Father’s Day, and don’t forget to fly the flag on the 14th. Hugs!

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Ruth Turner
Outreach Chairman and Certified Grief Support Facilitator