Admit it – we have all thought about the holidays season when someone who has been part of our lives for as long as we can remember is no longer with us. How do you help someone through the upcoming holidays who is facing the holidays for the first time without that special person? I think my experience gives me insight into how best to approach this time of year. This is something we will all deal with at some point. The holidays just don’t seem the same without that special person, whether it’s a grandparent or parent or child or a spouse. Facing the holidays without a spouse, your life partner, especially for the first time, can seem overwhelming, even depressing. It doesn’t have to be. Families can still enjoy the holidays while remembering all the special times with those no longer with us. But how do we help our loved ones, who may have lost a loved one recently, enjoy the holidays? I offer the following tips to those entering this holiday season and trying to come to grips with the loss of a loved one.
1) We all grieve differently. Don’t minimize someone else’s loss.
2) Don’t worry about not knowing what to say or do – jump in and do it. Just being there can be a comfort.
3) Don’t be afraid to try a new holiday tradition like going to a movie instead of the old tried and true extended family meal. Some have taken the opportunity of holidays while grieving to go away with friends rather than staying at home.
4) Think about an ornament with a picture of that loved one or even a memory tree – a small tree decorated with pictures and other memories of happier times spent together.
5) Why not try volunteering?There are always tremendous needs at the holidays and I don’t know of a single organization that would not be grateful for the help. It always lifts my spirits to give some of my time to those less fortunate. I always get more out of the experience than the folks I am helping.
Be a Santa to a Senior is an effort to bring holiday cheer to the elderly population in our community. Be A Santa to a Senior tries to ensure that every senior has something to open at Christmas. Trees decorated with names of seniors listing their needs, not wants but needs, are placed in various commercial locations. You take a card and buy the item(s) listed then drop the shopping bag off with the name tag. There is a wrapping party where all the gifts are wrapped and then delivered. Each phase of this process only works if many people are involved as volunteers. Think about how you might be able to help. For more information you can call me at (404)281-1537.
At some point in our lives we will all experience the holidays without someone we love. Those will be tough times but also an opportunity as family and community to draw strength from each other. Share your love with someone this holiday season that needs to know how much you care.
Tim Golden is the owner of BrightStar Care, Lawrenceville. You can reach Tim at (404)281-1537 or by emailing asktheseniorcareexpert@gmail.com. For more information please visit http://www.brightstarcare.com/lawrenceville/
Tim Golden
BrightStar Care
(404)281-1537
PO Box 634
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
email: asktheseniorcareexpert@gmail.com
