When Your Brain Keeps Looking for Them
Has this happened to you? You walk into a room and for a split second, you expect them to be there or you hear a door and your body reacts before your mind can catch up. You reach for your phone to text them. You forget. Then you remember. Again and again. If this has happened to you, nothing is wrong with you. Our brains are wired for attachment. Sometimes it does not immediately accept that they are dead. So it keeps looking. It keeps expecting. This still happens to me. I think that when this happens, our brains are doing exactly what they were built to do, hold on to the people we love and care about.
Read & listen: How the brain handles a love one’s death: A Q&A with Mary-Frances O’Connor
Due to the blizzard in the northeast please check the Teamup calendar for any cancellations before heading to in-person meetings.
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! DOWNLOAD THE TEAMUP APP ON YOUR PHONE. Click here for how to join app! The teamup calendar automatically updates to your timezone.
Please check the calendar before you drive to an in-person group…last-minute changes can happen. If it is not listed on the monthly calendar, it is cancelled for that date.
If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.
MEETING CHANGES FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
PLEASE CHECK THE TEAMUP CALENDAR FOR THE MOST ACCURATE MEETING INFO DUE TO THE BLIZZARD.
Weymouth MA group meeting via zoom this week only.
Gloucester MA hybrid group will meet via zoom only this month.
Bridgwater MA group cancelled this month.
If Natick town offices are closed, the Natick MA in-person group will be cancelled.
Zack’s Team Lowell MA group moving permanently to the 4th Wednesday of the month at a new location. Pawtucket Congregational Church 15 Mammoth Rd.
Derek Burns now facilitating the East Boston MA group.
Brighton MA group is no longer meeting.
WIN LADY GAGA TICKETS & HELP THE SUN WILL RISE! This is our winter appeal for support! Help us keep our peer grief services free to our members! Only 1000 raffle tickets will be sold!
This raffle will have two lucky winners and each winner will receive two Lady Gaga concert tickets at TD Garden in Boston on Sunday 3/29/26
Tickets are in Section Loge 21 with a retail value of $476.85 each.
UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
SADOD’s February Psychoeducational Virtual Workshop Introducing Grief Support 101: How to Show Up for Yourself and for Others Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET. Grief Support 101, offers an introduction to the many ways people experience and navigate grief. Whether you are personally bereaved, work with individuals who are grieving, or simply want to deepen your understanding of loss, this training provides a compassionate foundation. Register at bit.ly/intro-grief-support. 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
Community Meal Wednesday, March 18, 2026 5:30 PM 7:00 PM Wey of Life 383 Bridge St Unit 2 Weymouth MA Join us for a Community Meal to meet the people behind the free services and support available in Weymouth MA & the surrounding communities. Give-aways - Literature - Dinner/Dessert - Community - Care - Free Services - Support - Raffles All ages welcome Registration appreciated but not required (we’d like to prepare for the meal.)
If you are a local community organization offering free services for those in or seeking recovery and/or grieving the death of someone they care about to a substance use related death, please join and bring your literature to share.
We will be doing more Community Meals throughout the state this year.
New event! March Group Event - Red Door Escape Room Adventure Sunday, March 22, 2026 1:30 - 3:00 PM Foxborough MA Join us for an afternoon of connection, teamwork and problem solving. Whether you love sci-fi, fantasy or treasure hunts, there’s something for everyone. REGISTER HERE!
Important: Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Accessibility: 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 accessability needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Questions about the event? Please text Cindy Kaplan- 508-269-8428
HERE IS SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR
We gathered at Just Claying Around for a relaxing morning painting ceramics. It was wonderful spending time in community with others who understand life after a substance use related death. Join us at our one of our next events!
JOIN OUR VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB!
The March 2026 book choice is One of Them Was Mine by Susan Vespoli Join us via zoom.
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.
Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!
Join our private Facebook page.
Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!
Click here to view past newsletters on our website
“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean