We are pleased to welcome local Newfields resident and educator Lou Bacon who will be leading a new monthly Grief Awareness Book Club at the library, beginning January 3rd, 2024.
When: Bi-monthly on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month
Time: 10:15am
Where: The library sitting room
Who is this for: Adults who would like to better understand grief and the human experience
What this group is not: This book club is not a support group or therapy.
Grief awareness promotes well-being and offers us wisdom in how we acknowledge loss and move through grief and allows us to support others in their grief journey.
Through reading and discussion, members of the group will learn about the grief process and different strategies for navigating and coping with grief.
The first discussion will be held on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:15am.
>>Copies of the books will be available for checkout at the library desk.
Format
- The group discussion leader, Lou Bacon, will provide the list of books and all handouts in alignment with a weekly topic.
- Participants are welcome to suggest books well in advance.
- Participants may be emailed an assignment to go along with the reading in preparation for the discussion.
>>Copies of the books will be available for checkout at the library desk.
“My goal is to have members bond in discovery, connect to the readings, and experience
empowerment and wisdom regarding the nature of grief. To that end, I have chosen readings that educate, and deliberately have not chosen hard stories about loss. Safe is good. I want all members to feel safe in their educational experience.” -Lou Bacon
Background
Grief is a common occurrence in our everyday life, yet so many of us struggle with understanding the process of loss and bereavement. The truth is, we fear grief, and rightly so, because it means loss – and the thought of losing a loved one is not something we want to think about, much less, talk about.
But grief is a constant in our lives, and when we do not understand it, we tend label the grieving process anything other than experiencing loss – like depression, lethargy, stress, even self-worthlessness.
Grief awareness sounds tough, yet it is actually a tool that promotes well-being and engages self-awareness. Most importantly, grief awareness (our own, and the grief process of others) offers all of us wisdom in how we acknowledge loss, growth in our responsiveness of how we move through grief, and allows us to support others in their grief journey.
Discussion Leader: Lou Bacon
Lou Bacon, M.Ed. is a resident of Newfields and has worked with several hospice organizations supporting the dying and the bereaved for 28 years throughout the NH Seacoast. She has taught Death & Dying and Grief & Loss courses at the college level for 23 years. Lou continues to support the bereaved through her private practice.
