Grief can make us keepers of the details.
A date.
A time.
The weather that day.
What they were wearing.
The last text.
The last voicemail.
What was said.
What wasn’t said.
It can be the smallest details that stay with us the longest. The song playing in the car. A sweatshirt still hanging where they left it. The sound of their laugh in your memory that you replay, hoping it stays clear. Over time, some memories sharpen while others blur. That can feel unsettling. You might remember the exact moment the phone rang but struggle to remember the sound of their voice. You may forget a story and but remember the way they walked through the kitchen or how they knocked on the door. We collect these pieces and carry them and revisit them. A thousand small things no one else may remember, but we won’t forget.
Read more- Grief Tiggers & Positive Memory: A Continuum
~ Robyn
Robyn Houston-Bean
Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation
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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.
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MEETING CHANGES THIS WEEK
The GLOUCESTER MA HYBRID group will meet via zoom only this month. This group is open to anyone 18+ with any relationship to the person who died.
HELP SUPPORT THE SUN WILL RISE!
ENTER TO WIN TWO ARIANA GRANDE TICKETS
One lucky winner will receive two Ariana Grande tickets for the concert at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday 7/22/26 at 8:00 pm!
Your odds are great with this raffle! Thank you so much for your support that helps keep all our offerings at no cost to you!
HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED RECENTLY AT TSWR
I joined facilitator Don Lipstein and his co-host Greg Jacobs on their Turning Grief Into Growth podcast for a conversation about grief, healing and the power of peer support. If you have some time, I’d love for you to give it a watch. I think many in our community may find something to connect with in their different episodes.
Watch on YouTube
UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
SADOD’s May Psychoeducational Virtual Workshop How to Become and Advocate Tuesday, May 26, 2026 from 6:30–8:00 pm ET. For some people, grief brings not only pain, but questions about how to create change. This workshop features three bereaved mothers, Robyn Houston-Bean, Barbara Allen & Joyal Mulhern, who have all transformed their loss into advocacy at local, regional, and national levels. Through their stories, participants will explore how advocacy can take many forms, and how getting involved can be approached in ways that feel intentional, sustainable, and aligned with personal values. This virtual workshop will be held and will be recorded. Learn more and REGISTER HERE. Free for MA residents (use code MASS). $10 for those outside MA. Email Laura@sadod.org if cost is a concern.
Community Meal Thursday, May 28, 2026 1:00 - 2:30 PM Taunton Peer Recovery Center Taunton MA Join us for a Community Meal to meet the people behind the free services and support available in Taunton MA & the surrounding communities. Give-aways - Literature - Lunch - 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.
Last call! Three Dimensional Wool Felting Workshop at The Felted Bee May 30, 2026 10:00 am- 12:00 pm Rockland MA LEARN WHAT WOOL FELTING IS In this beginner friendly class you will learn the basics of needle felting. The class will go through safety, tips and tricks and you will go home with the beginner knowledge of felting in three dimensions. Participants will transform carded wool fibers into beautiful cardinal. Registration required. 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. 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 Judy Kelly judyannkelly@gmail.com 781-264-0557
Third Annual Men’s BBQ Sunday 5/31/26 1:00 pm Wrentham MA We are proud to sponsor this annual event hosted by Gilly’s House. Free for men bereaved due to substance use related causes or suicide. Come stand Shoulder to Shoulder with other men and experience a day of food, cornhole and community! Register here. Questions? David@thesunwillrise.org
Community Hub Info Session Tuesday 6/2/26 6:00-7:00 pm ET Zoom LInk Learn more about Mosaic’s Community Hub. This platform was born from a desire for a dynamic, online, knowledge-sharing platform to help people in the field find and post opportunities for funding, jobs, upcoming events, publications, and information about current and promising interventions, services, and programs. Membership in Mosaic’s Community Hub is free and available to individuals, organizations, municipalities, and state agencies across Massachusetts.
Community Meal Thursday, June, 4 2026 4:30-6:00 PM CORE Peer Recovery & Resource Center Gloucester MA Join us for a Community Meal to meet the people behind the free services and support available in Gloucester MA & the surrounding communities. Give-aways - Literature - Dinner - 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.
Renew, Refresh, Reset Grief Retreat for Bereaved Parents Date: June 26-28 2026 or August 14-16 2026 SOLD OUT. Response was well beyond capacity. Emails were sent out this week regarding the August retreat to let people know that they had a spot or were put on the waitlist. Deposits for those who have a spot are due 5/30/26. Questions about the retreat? Contact Cheryl Juaire Cherju4339@aol.com
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!
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“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean