Wondering about healing after loss or finding hope after tragedy. My parents, in 1964, took me, my older brother, Corey, and my younger brother, Kenny, out to the desert. We went off playing, us kids did, and my mom called us back. My older brother and I came running back, and my little brother wasn’t with us. My parents searched for my little brother for several hours, and then called the authorities. And then a couple of days later, a tragic end for the search is tot found dead. After Kenny died, I remember as a little girl just being very, very fearful.
That was one area in my life that I just held very close to me. And I didn’t feel like God could help me with that. Most of my story is about just that. It’s about me trying to control everything myself, trying to keep people safe, trying to protect them, trying to keep myself from things that would hurt me. When I came to Grief Share, it wouldn’t have been something that I would have come to, because grief share is difficult. And I thought to myself, “I’m in my fifties. Nobody’s going to understand what I’ve gone through.” I’ve found just the opposite, and I got brave. And part of being brave was hearing somebody tell their story. When they share it, your heart goes out to them and you think, “I feel for them. That’s so awful.” And then you say to yourself, “Well, wait, wait a minute. Why can’t I feel for myself?” Where I began to really find myself was in the chapters on being stuck in grief and in complicated grief, because it spoke to exactly where I was, and the emotions that I had gone through, really, my whole life and where I was at at the moment I came to Grief Share; my pride and my need to be right kept me for a long time from reaching out.
When I was ready, the Lord provided the ministry for me to walk into. God can take anything in anyone’s life, as He did with me, and use it for a really good purpose, but I had to submit. And you know, the enemy does not want that, because as long as we are trapped and isolated, then he can talk to us and tell us things that absolutely aren’t true. And that’s a dangerous place to be. So it’s very, very valuable to find healing after loss. We would love to invite you to visit us in person or online. We believe that this is a place for everyone, wherever you are on your journey. We want to transform our homes, community, and world by pursuing God, building community, and unleashing compassion. If you would like to find out more about Eastside please visit eastside.com/about.
Let’s face it: Life can get difficult… complicated. But you don’t have to navigate these seasons alone. This caring community of people, who have walked the path to recovery, will walk beside you on your journey to hope and healing. We have groups for people who are going through a separation or divorce and grief share for those who have lost a loved one. We have groups for those who struggle with an addiction and for their loved ones as well. Groups for people who are fighting illness, want to save their marriage, or are seeking mental wellness. If you have questions or need help finding a group, contact Greg Arbues or request more info.
If you or someone you know is in a difficult season, we invite you to check out the Care & Recovery groups at Eastside. For convenient times and locations go to: eastside.com/care.