Grievers over the years have told me that grief feels like, answering “How are you?” and lying every time. Laughing and then feeling guilty for it. Forgetting someone is gone for a split second. Watching people move on and wondering how. Having a perfectly normal day and then crashing at 7pm. Folding their shirt and not knowing what to do next. Being both too much and not enough. Missing someone in places they’ve never even been.
Does any of that feel familiar? Or does grief feels like something totally different to you? These feelings can change day to day. How would you answer the question, “Grief feels like….?” Reply here and I’ll compile a list of what grief feels like to all of you and share it back in a future newsletter.
~ With care
Robyn
Robyn Houston-Bean
Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation
Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.
Click here to open the calendar
If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.
The Monday Grandparent Zoom group will now meet at 5:30 PM ET, starting this week.
The Monday evening Zoom group (open to anyone, regardless of relationship) will now meet 30 minutes earlier at 8:30 PM ET.
East Boston cancelled this month.
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
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
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 6:00pm - Belchertown, MA
Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA
Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA
Aug 25th 6:00pm - Easthampton MA
Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA
Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA
On this episode of Healing Through Wonder, co-hosts Val Walker and Robyn Houston-Bean enjoy stories and insights from Dave Roberts, LMSW, author, adjunct professor of psychology child-life at Utica University, bereavement support specialist, former addictions counselor, and host of the Teaching Journeys Podcast. We explore awe and wonder through Dave's experiences of signs and synchronicities as he describes his continuing bond with his daughter, Jeannine, who died in 2003. People who are grieving and survivors of trauma are often open to awe through similar experiences that feel profoundly intimate, amazing, and lifechanging. Our conversation deeply examines these very personal breathtaking moments that can allow us to find meaning and hope in living with grief. Would you like to share your story of awe or wonder? Sign up here!
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.
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“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean