Things I Said to the Microwave While Crying

Grief is strange. It shows up in the quietest moments and makes everything feel heavier than it should. I remember standing in my kitchen, staring at the microwave, trying to reheat a leftover dinner for the third time. I was crying. Big tears over… I don’t even know. The ruined food? The silence? Just everything. I didn’t say anything profound. I didn’t even say anything helpful. I just screamed out loud to an empty room, “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore and I hate it,” and then stood there for a while. Grief scrambles you. It makes the simplest things hard. You forget why you walked into a room. You start talking to objects because the people you want to talk to are gone. I’ve apologized to chairs, sworn at socks, cried and called for help from beyond because I misplaced my keys for the tenth time in a week. If you’ve had moments like this, talking to a photo, whispering into the quiet, know it’s not just you. This is part of grief. The weird parts. The in-between moments. The things no one talks about but almost everyone who’s grieving understands.

Share about things you’ve said or done in grief at one of our upcoming grief groups. We want to hear about your grief journey.

There is another way to tell your grief story too! We would love to have you join us at a four session storytelling workshop led by award winning story teller, Meghann Perry! This is a space for grieving people to be honest, heard and supported in telling a story not just about how their person died, but about how they lived. More info below. Sign up here!

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

View the interactive monthly calendar here. This is where you will find up to date meeting information, zoom links and location information! Reminder, check the calendar as last minute changes happen from time to time.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The LGBTQ zoom is back on the schedule starting this week.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s July PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP Reaching Out with Val Walker: 10 Ways to Build Community When Grieving Tuesday 7/22/25 6:30pm ET In uncertain times, such as when we are grieving, many of us are asking: “How do I make new connections?” Author, bereaved person, rehabilitation consultant, and Psychology Today blogger, Val Walker, will lead a discussion where we will share ideas and real-life success stories of how we can expand and enrich our social life. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/building-community-workshop. 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

NEW! Storytelling Through Grief: Finding Healing and Hope. Four-session virtual workshop led by award-winning Storyteller Meghann Perry. 8/7/25, 8/14/25 8/21/25, & 9/4/25 Stories are a way of showing us how we see the world and what is sacred to us. When someone we care about dies, especially in a way that carries stigma, it can change the way we tell those stories. Sometimes, the story we tell revolves around pain, shame or silence. That can keep us from remembering the full truth of who they were and it can hold us back in our own healing journey. This 4 session workshop is designed to help people explore a different relationship with their story. With guidance from experienced story coaches, participants will gently reflect on how their story has been shaped, what parts might feel difficult and what other truths are waiting to be told. Through small group conversations, pair sharing and gentle coaching, we’ll begin to open space for new meaning. This doesn’t mean rewriting the past, it means allowing the complexity of love, grief and memory to come forward in a way that feels more whole. This is a space for grieving people to be honest, heard and supported in finding a story that feels more true, not just about how their person died, but about how they lived. Plan to attend all four sessions. Cost: Free You must reserve your spot by signing up for a ticket. A zoom link for the four sessions will be sent prior to the workshop sessions. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Limit: 4 tickets per family. Reserve Your Spot HERE

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

New! Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 28th @ 6:30pm - Canton, MA

Aug 29th @9:00am - Boston MA

MA RESIDENTS JOIN BSAS Living Expertise Advisory Pool (LEAP)

LEAP serves as a statewide body of community members, residents, and professionals who want to contribute lived and living experience to work happening at the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance of Addiction Services (BSAS). LEAP members will be invited to learn more about what happens at BSAS and across our system of services, and may receive paid consultation opportunities as a way of ensuring that community voice is represented in our decision-making. You can join LEAP by completing this application, which allows you to choose which experiences and identities inform your perspective. All responses except contact information are optional, and will be securely stored with only OCHE staff able to view the information you share. After attending orientation and relevant Community Academies, you’ll be eligible for matching with BSAS projects where your expertise will provide valuable insights.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.