Photo courtesy of Faith & Grief Ministries on Facebook.

As we close out the holiday season, most of us are reflecting on special memories spent with family and loved ones. But for those who have lost loved ones, the holidays can serve as painful reminders of absence. Grief doesn’t take a holiday and navigating this season without someone you love can feel overwhelming and isolating.

The nonprofit organization Faith & Grief Ministries understands this unique pain and has dedicated its mission to supporting individuals and families who are grieving the death of a loved one. Through faith-based programs and compassionate community engagement, they provide opportunities for comfort and hope, especially during
challenging times. Their programs encourage participants to acknowledge their grief, honor the memories of their loved ones, and find solace in community and faith.

Founded on the belief that faith and community play vital roles in healing, Faith & Grief Ministries provides resources and events designed to meet the needs of the grieving. Their mission is simple yet profound: to create opportunities for comfort and hope by walking alongside those who have experienced loss.

Faith & Grief has several programs both online and in person to offer comfort and hope for those in need as they grieve. They offer:

  • Support Groups: Monthly one-hour grief support gatherings at no cost to the participant are offered at several locations across the DFW area.
  • Workshops and Retreats: The workshops led by certified grief educators allow participants to explore sacred grief-related stories, share their stories in small groups, and learn spiritual practices to promote comfort in grief. These
    workshops are hosted both in person and online. They also offer weekend grief retreats where participants explore stories that focus on grief, presentations on the nature and dynamics of grief, small group discussions, and spiritual practices designed to promote comfort.
  • Podcast: They also have a popular podcast that dives deeper into aspects of many kinds of grief.

I was drawn to Faith and Grief through the death of my son Matthew, who I lost to suicide. That can be a hard loss as one can feel very isolated and alone; there is still some stigma around suicide and mental health.  I have been blessed to have found support through Faith and Grief, and through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org).

I also volunteer during the holidays at the Faith & Grief Memorial Arch in Klyde Warren Park where guests can write the name of a loved one on a ribbon and tie it to the Arch as a symbol of remembrance. Volunteers at the Arch offer passersby the opportunity to pause and reflect on a loved one who won’t be physically present during the holidays. Faith and Grief started the Memorial Arch program in 2016 following the tragic loss of first responders in Dallas in July 2016.

The Arch has been filled over the years with thousands of ribbons, each one sacred.  The ribbons are carefully removed from the Arch each year and have been woven into a beautiful piece of artwork named “River of Time” by artist Pamela Nelson,
which continues to grow.

I invite you to join one of Faith & Grief’s support gatherings this January or to volunteer to remove and count ribbons for the River of Time. While I mourn the reasons we would be gathered, I celebrate that we will have the opportunity to gather and provide support and comfort to each other.  It takes courage to step into such a gathering, no matter how long ago or how recent your loss.  But I hope you will find that courage, certain that you will find some measure of hope and healing by coming together.

Blessings to all who have suffered loss.

~Beverly Patrick

Preston Hollow neighbor