Grief is a frequent visitor to everyone because we all experience loss and change. Sometimes changes in our lives are caused by marriage, birth of a baby, or a new job or location. All change means loss of something even if it is also a gain. It is important to understand the healthy steps of grieving so that we can flourish in life.

Traumatic loss through disaster, divorce or death of a loved one is more acute. It is easily recognized and more likely to trap us in one of its stages. Here are the seven stages: shock/disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression and acceptance/hope.

Invite a speaker to cover this topic or develop a support group around a book study on this subject. You may want to offer the study on a regular basis, especially if your corps or community has experienced disaster.