Hello Friends,

This week we have four in-person regular groups, one regular zoom group, one specialty zoom group and one virtual special event. Login and location information follow at the bottom of this newsletter.

GRIEF IN SIX WORDS

The What’s Your Grief website has a brilliant project called Grief in Six Words. It can sometimes be overwhelming to tell or try to write down your whole grief story, but here, where you a limited to just six words, it can be surprisingly freeing. Even you don’t want to write a six word story, you can read others and see that you are not alone. Submit a six word story here.

Our grief is changeable. I imagine our stories would be different in earlier grief, or around a certain day of the year or how we were feeling at any given different moment. This would be a my six word story today.

Though he’s gone, his light remains.

If you don’t want to share a story on a public page, feel free to share it on our private facebook page.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

NEW GROUP ALERT!

We are thrilled to a new announce a new grief group in CA! Randi Schalet will facilitate an in-person group in Berkeley CA starting 11/4/24. Meet Randi:

Randi Schalet is a semi-retired psychologist. Her beloved 26 year old son Kealynd died of a meth overdose in 2021. Randi used peer support when her son was in active addiction and has also found peer grief support to be very helpful. She believes in the power of peer grief support and invites those who might benefit from group to attend.

Randi has written a number of poems after the death of her son. Read “Kayaking On Spy Pond,” “Parenting Mistakes,” and “Choices”

Randi will be leading a workshop titled, Finding Meaning in Grief at the upcoming Finding Support in Grief Conference in Framingham MA. Register here.

Thanks to Randi for joining the team to support our expanding community of grievers!

NONOTUCK PARK DAY!

It was great to get together with new and old friends at our first event held in Western MA! Join us at our next event!

INTO LIGHT

Two opportunities remain for grief support at the INTO LIGHT exhibit in NORTON MA. One peer grief group facilitated by Robyn Houston-Bean and one facilitated tour led by SADOD’s Peer Grief Support Specialist, Melissa Lezynski. The guided tour will provide an opportunity for individuals to explore the exhibition more deeply while connecting with others and experiencing the power of peer grief support.

FALL FESTS

We were able to connect with lots of community this weekend at The Bridgewater Autumnfest and The RecoveryFest in Stoneham! We could always use help with tabling! Would you like to host a table for The Sun Will Rise at different events and let the world know that peer grief support exists? Just complete this form!

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

1. Volunteers Needed! Tuesday 10/1/24 6:00 pm 541 Washington St Braintree MA Please come help us pack up the swag bags for the grief conference. If you can help pack the bags, please email marci@thesunwillrise.org to let her know.

2. New Event! Virtual Music Therapy Workshop 10/3/24 7:00 pm-8:30 pm ET Have you not been able to attend an event because you live out of state? Here is a virtual event for you to participate in! Join Sarah Blacker, award-winning singer/songwriter, LMHC, Board-Certified Music Therapist with over 20 years in the field working with adults and youth with mental health challenges, and those affected by substance use for an interactive and experiential presentation on the benefits and application of Music Therapy. You will experience Music Therapy first-hand, learn about its powerful effects on the mind, body and spirit, and leave with takeaway tools to use in your own life every day. Sign up here.

3. 11th Annual Memorial Walk~The Family Restored Mystic River Reservation DCR – 4253 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford MA Saturday 10/5/24 11:30 am Come walk with us! Select our team "The Sun Will Rise" when you register and let's spend the day together! Register here and join our team!

4. INTO LIGHT Guided Tour 10/6/24 1:00 pm Beard & Weil Galleries Wheaton College Led by SADOD's Peer Grief Support Specialist, Melissa Lezynski. This guided tour will provide an opportunity for individuals to explore the exhibit while connecting with others and experiencing the power of peer grief support.

5. New Event! Call Their Names Hike Sunday 10/13/24 2:30 pm 259 Massapoag Ave No.Easton MA We invite people bereaved due to substance use related causes to join together in an autumn walk at Borderland State Park. We will make stops along the way to “Call Their Name” at a few locations as a way to carry our person with us on this outing. Everyone is welcome…friends, family, kids, as well as dogs on leashes. More info here.

6. FINDING SUPPORT IN GRIEF Conference October 18-20, 2024 Framingham MA REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! Discover hope, healing, support, and a sense of community at SADOD’s 3rd annual grief conference. Register now and learn more about this special event by clicking the link below: https://cvent.me/VVeBgB. Connect with others who have experienced the death of someone they care about to substance-use-related causes.

7. October Psychoeducational Workshop 10/22/24 6:30 pm Join SADOD for a discussion on boundaries and coping strategies for the holiday season, as well as an opportunity to find comfort in sharing a space with others who feel similarly. Most importantly, we hope this workshop will convey the fact that you are not alone in feeling apprehensive about the holidays. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/sadod-holidays. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org

8. KEYS 365 Virtual Suicide Prevention Workshop by Deb Casello Tuesday, November 5, 2024 6:30-8:00 pm ET This free KEYS 365 class is designed to empower participants with essential tools to recognize risk factors and warning signs of suicide, understand recommended suicide prevention verbiage, engage in open discussions, and foster hope and help-seeking behaviors. Self-care and resilience-building techniques for attendees to practice and share with others are included. This dynamic session focuses on early intervention and is interactive; participants will actively engage with each other as they are introduced to life-saving suicide prevention skills. Please pre-register here.

THIS WEEK’S MEETING INFORMATION

Monday - IN-PERSON, WEYMOUTH MA 9/30/24 6:30-8:00 pm ET.

Darlene Mersereau facilitating.

Crossroads Church, 241 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA