A special book fundraiser that examines the need to address grief during the holidays while also raising money to support the Cochrane and Area Hospice Society is set for Dec. 17.
The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Found Books and Shop. Entry is $5, and anyone who is interested can register via the Cochrane and Area Hospice Society by emailing [email protected].
Local author, counsellor, and bereavement educator Rick Bergh explained the event will cover his ninth book Grief Nuggets, which aims to serve small insights for people to learn how to deal with their grief in a healthy manner.
“I wanted a book that people could follow for a year, following their grief, experiences, and manageable little insights,” he explained. “That’s what the book is about, just daily insight that would help not only them, but to be able to share them with family, friends, and have conversations around that little tidbit of information.”
The event and the book will help support the Cochrane and Area Hospice Society. As one of the organizations in town that works for end-of-life individuals, they also provide grief resources to the community.
“It’s a fundraiser for them, and all proceeds from the book will go to that organization,” he explained. “I want to focus on holiday grief, because it’s really important during this time of year to be able to provide a few tools and strategies, as people are grieving the loss of that special person during the holiday season.”
Bergh outlines that grief always comes back to the community, no matter what. A common misconception that Bergh regularly sees on the topic is that grief eventually reaches a finishing point.
“It’s actually impossible to get over somebody that you love and will always miss,” he explained. “Even from a neurological perspective, […] we know that those memories in the hippocampus remain with us. They don’t disappear, when someone dies, they come back in a very powerful way. Especially at celebratory times, because those are the memories that you have of your loved ones.”
This becomes especially apparent during the holiday season, and Bergh explains that it is important to recognize that grief will come back, while also learning how to address it.
“It’s really important for people to recognize that in the midst of grief and loss, that you can still invite this person in some way back into your life,” he said.
Rather than ignoring those feelings, Bergh said it Is always best to address the elephant in the room, and to discuss it directly.
“That’s what I’m going to be talking about at this lecture,” he said. “Strategies that might help bring you and your family closer in these celebrations. They’re going to be part of your life; it’s just who we are as individuals.”
Even more importantly, Bergh said there is also the need for community grief as a way to connect with one another and properly mourn the loss of loved ones. Through the community, he believes that new bonds can be created through people who share similar experiences.
“There’s this common kind of empathy towards one another a you share a common experience; so I think the community aspect is really important,” he said.
With several factors stemming from various forms of grief, Bergh said it is important for people to learn about how to transition and adapt to the various circumstances surrounding their unique situations, while also finding ways to talk about them before they become more complicated down the line.
“People go through losses every day; so I think, hopefully, what help people recognize these losses are real, but you can transition and talk about them,” he said.
Overall, he outlines that this presentation will serve as education for people to use, alongside with common tools and strategies that they can bring home with them over this holiday season.
“It’s not like you’re coming to a lecture where we’re going to be all tearing (up) around a circle,” he said. “It’s a time of education. And to be able to learn a few things about a few different things about grief that maybe we haven’t heard before, or maybe you have but just giving the tools to people this time of year in order to cope.”
