Grief Myth Busting

You’ve probably heard people say, “time heals all wounds.” It’s supposed to offer comfort, but for those of us living with grief, that doesn’t always feel true. Time alone doesn’t always heal. What matters is what we do in that time. We tell our stories, find safe places to share, honor our people who have died, connect with others who understand. Those things can help soften the sharp edges of grief. Grief isn’t something we need to get over. It can be something we learn to live with, building our lives around the death, carrying both the love and the grief. I’ve found this grief model to resonate with me. Does this way of thinking about grief resonate with you, too? Share on our facebook page about how you are growing around your grief.

Read more about Tonkin’s grief model.

Make sure to scroll to very bottom of newsletter to read the whole thing!

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

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

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THE WEEK AHEAD

Please note, a number of groups are not meeting due to IOAD activities, this month. Always check the main calendar for up to date meetings list.

Winthrop MA meeting on pause.

People In Recovery Weymouth Hybrid meeting will no longer meet. A Regular Hybrid meeting will begin at that location in October.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

What a beautiful afternoon sailing adventure in Boston Harbor aboard the classic schooner, the Liberty Star! We could not have asked for more perfect weather. Our afternoon together brought comfort, connection, new friends. Make sure to join in one our next events or workshops!

A big thanks to all who helped us set up the flags this week in Braintree! It’s a beautiful display. Help is also needed to respectfully take down the flags. Monday, September 8 at 5:00 PM Braintree MA Town Hall

A intimate Butterfly Release in honor of IOAD for our Cape Cod group members was a powerful get together. Sharing these special moments builds community and support. Thanks to Senior Facilitator Kerry Bickford for organizing this event!

Tabling season is in full swing. Thanks to facilitator and event committee member Natalie Patricio for hosting a table for The Sun Will Rise and spreading the word about grief support at Gilly’s House Summerfest!

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

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. People with any substance use related death are invited to participate. 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

SADOD’s August PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: The Dualities of Grief: Confronting Mixed Emotions Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET We often speak about the sadness and pain of grief and less often about the dual emotions that sometimes come up. We may feel joy and sorrow, relief and guilt, alone and connected, sometimes all at once and other times in different situations. For many, we have typically thought about emotions as “either you feel one way or you feel another way.” Yet, grief forces us to confront many emotions, some which may appear to be conflicting. In this workshop we will discuss the dualities of grief and how we can make space for all our emotions without feeling guilt or shame over them. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/grief-dualities. 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

THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA The Opioid Project consists of a 4 hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

The storytelling portion is led by physician Dr. Annie Brewster founder of Health Story Collaborative and the art portion, by visual artist Nancy Marks.

The Opioid Project provides a safe place for those affected by the opioid epidemic to explore and process their personal experiences. Through art making and storytelling and in collaboration with community partners, they strive to decrease stigma and promote positive social change through dialogue, education and advocacy.

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. REGISTER HERE!

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone.

If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Robyn at 781-789-4604 robyn@thesunwillrise.org

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Braintree Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Braintree Opioid Abatement Funds have also been used to support this program.

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

There are so many remembrance events happening this month. SADOD has a IOAD event locator on their page for events in MA. If you are hosting an event and would like to add it to the locator, complete this form.

For other states and international events search here.

For members in Plymouth County MA, you can have your person remembered by emailing matthewscandle922@gmail.com with their name and/or a message. Plymouth County Outreach will be displaying these signs for the next month.

Help Us Prepare for International Overdose Awareness Day

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with three upcoming Purple Flag installations to remember lives lost to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. First Installation: Saturday, August 23rd at 9:00 AM
First Congregational Church 2 E Central St, Natick, MA 01760. Newton 9/7/25 & Boston 9/21. (times to follow) Plenty of free parking available! Questions?Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

Volunteers needed in Boston MA Friday 8/29/25 to help plant over 20,000 purple flags on the lawn at Liberty Mall in remembrance of those who have died due to overdose in Massachusetts between 2013-2024, sign up here. Please report at 7:30am to be assigned a task. T-shirts will be provided to volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. If you volunteered in the past, please wear the shirt you were given and everyone is invited to wear a purple shirt in case t-shirts run out. They kindly ask that volunteers commit to at least two hours, though you are welcome to stay longer. At 9:00am, they expect government officials to arrive for a moment of silence. Resource tables will be present, and media will be in attendance.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TABLING

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 26th 4:00pm - Whitinsville MA

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 27th 5:00pm - Easton MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

Aug 31st 7:00pm - Revere MA

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.