Touchstone Grief Group

Understanding Your Suicide Grief

Ascension Lutheran Church

Pastor Stephen L. Palo

"Someone is Missing…"

"Every day since I lost my little girl Kimberly

I wake up with the knowledge…someone is missing…

Please understand I enjoy spending time with family
but this voice that I hear squeezes my heart…
I love each and every one of you
but please understand…Someone Is Missing!"

-an excerpt from a poem by Jennifer Malloch

Someone, you love and/or know, is missing.  They died by suicide.  And just like in the poem above, you hear a voice—at meal times, on birthdays, during the holiday season, and family gatherings—that says, "Someone is missing!"  This voice squeezes your heart with three simple words—"Someone is missing."  You feel alone in your grief.  You are traumatized, not only from the suddenness of the death, but also from the stigma that our society attaches to suicide.  At times, you avoid discussing your loss with friends, family, and co-workers because you don't know who to trust with your grief.  You want to crawl into bed, pull over the covers, and hope that it all goes away.  Then, the voice of grief says, "Someone is missing," even under the covers.

As you journey through the wilderness of suicide grief, you ask yourself:  How do I live, now?  Why did this happen?  Am I to blame?  When will my grief end?  Am I going crazy?  When will I stop bursting into tears?  Who am I….now?

If you are grieving the loss of a loved one by suicide, I invite you to Touchstone Grief Group at Ascension Lutheran Church.  We will be exploring these questions, and those that you bring to the group.  We will discuss Dr. Alan Wolfelt's touchstones for finding hope and healing, look at the six needs of mourning, dispel some myths about grief and suicide, learn to embrace the uniqueness of your grief, create a safe place for you to receive support and be heard.

Please call or email and sign up with Pastor Stephen Palo.  I hope you join us.

Pastor Stephen L. Palo

When:  Thursdays, 6:30-8:00pm, April 16 – June 4, 2020

Where: Ascension Lutheran Church – 2030 Third St, Brookings SD

Contact:  Pastor Stephen Palo at stephenp@brookings.net or 692-6565