Grief and Sensory Memory

Grief doesn’t just live in our hearts. It lives in our senses. A song on the radio, the smell of the ocean, the taste of a favorite meal or even the way the light falls in a room can bring our person back in an instant. Sometimes these moments feel like a gift. Other times, they knock the wind out of you. And many times it’s both. Theses moments remind us just how deeply our people were part of our lives. My coping tip for when a sensory memory hits, is to try pausing and naming it: “This smell or sound or sight reminds me of them.” It can shift the feeling from being blindsided to being connected. Some people even create a small memory box with items that hold those sensory ties, so they can choose when to visit them. I like that my senses keep Nick’s memory close. They remind us that while death changes the relationship, their presence is still woven into our lives.

~ 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.

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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.

Randi Schalet facilitating for Don Regular Zoom 8/25/25.

Natick MA in-person not meeting this month.

East Boston MA in-person not meeting this month.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, our community came together to honor the lives of those who died due to overdose and other substance use–related causes. We released butterflies in remembrance, said our peoples names out loud and stood together as one big family driven by hope!

Thank you to Pastor John Wilson who led us in prayer, and speakers Michael Nashawaty, Annie Avitabile, Diana Cleary & Fred Viola. Thank you to Jessi Conley & her daughter Emma Wilson for the poem they read (see below) and to Sarah Blacker for her beautiful performance.

An amazing butterfly mural was unveiled that will stand as a permanent memorial to those who have died. Thanks to the Town of Braintree & The Braintree Community Partnership for helping make this day a visible reminder that our people are never forgotten.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

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.

Help Us Prepare for International Overdose Awareness Day

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with Purple Flag installations to remember lives the people who died due to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. Second Installation: Sunday, September 7th at 9:00 am Newton-Wellesley Hospital 2014 Washington St Newton 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.