“Helping Yourself By Helping Others Through Grief”.  Most grieving people need a friend.  Here’s what you can do to help them and, in the process, perhaps help yourself as well.

Facilitated by Sandy James-Ashley.

Location:  Widowed Persons Service office, 4211 Clyde Park SW, Wyoming.

(Directions: West of 131, North of 44th Street; park in the parking lot with the State Farm sign at the top and walk up the sidewalk between the two buildings to the second door on the left.) Please RSVP to the WPS office, 538-0101.

“”Helping Yourself By Helping Others Through Grief”.  Most grieving people need a friend.  Here’s what you can do to help them and, in the process, perhaps help yourself as well.

Facilitated by Paula Benjamin and Nancy Castiglione.

Location: Heather Hills Retirement Village, 1055 Forest Hills Ave SE.

(Directions:  Take the Cascade Rd exit, 40B, off  I-96.  Turn East on Cascade Rd., Grand Rapids.   Drive 1/2 mile then turn right on Forest Hill Ave.  Pass the front of the Heather Hills building and turn right on the first street (Medical Park Drive), then right into the parking lot.  Enter on the south end of  the building.)   Please RSVP to the WPS office, 538-0101.

“Taking Opposite Sex Friendships To The Next Level And Beginning To Date:  What Do I Need To Know?”  ”I’m so lonely now that my spouse died!”  Does that ring true for you?  Being with others of both sexes is helpful for grieving people for affirmation and support, but what about developing a close friendship with a person of the opposite sex?  And how do I know when I am ready to date?

Facilitated by:  Joan Berends and Ron Van Der Meulen.

Location: Hager Park Reformed Church, 2635 Bauer Road, Jenison. (Directions:  From Chicago Drive—head north on Main Street in Jenison.  Turn left at Baldwin Street.  Take the second right onto Cottonwood Drive.  Turn left at Bauer Road-Church will be on the right in 1.8 miles.  Drive to the back of the parking lot to the office entrance.)

Please RSVP to Joann, 616-516-6194.

“When Does It Get Better?”  We will discuss the common experiences of grief and ways to help yourself and each other.

Facilitated by Lorraine Thenikl.

Location:  Widowed Persons Service office, 4211 Clyde Park SW, Unit C, Wyoming.

(Directions: West of 131, North of 44th Street; park in the parking lot with the State Farm sign at the top and walk up the sidewalk between the two buildings to the second door on the left.)

Please RSVP to the WPS office, 538-0101.

“I Still Can’t Believe My Spouse Is Really Dead And Never Coming Back”.  It all still seems like such a bad dream!  It takes quite a while, several months, for the cognitive reality of your partner’s death to connect with your emotions.  We’d like you to come to discuss facing the harsh reality that your life will never be the “old normal” again.  What does all this mean for you?

Facilitated by Bethany France.

Location: Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 1675 84^th St. SE, Caledonia (84^th & Kalamazoo). (Directions: Approximately 2 miles east of 131 on 84^th St. or 2 miles south of M-6 on Kalamazoo).

Please RSVP to the WPS office, 538.0101.

Scramble format, different partners drawn each week.  Play each Tuesday, different course each month.

Call for time and course.

Contact Jan, 791-9268 or Glen, 784-9195 to sign up.

Location:  Cracker Barrel, 4340 Kenowa Ave (I-196 and 44th St.)

RSVP to WPS office at 616-538-0101 or info@wpsgr.org

Bring a dish to pass.  Not a card player, not a problem – we’ll provide instruction!

Location:  1676 Sandra NW, Walker

RSVP to WPS office at 538-0101 or info@wpsgr.org

Come join us!  We will meet at Hager Park Reformed Church, 2635 Bauer Road, Jenison.  We will be dividing up into teams of 4-5 people to a car and follow clues to reach the final destination.  There we will eat, socialize and share our experiences, while we total up the scores to determine the winning team!

RSVP:  Karen, 616-957-3422 or Scott, 616-688-5767.

Location:  Panera Bread, 32 44th Street SW, Grandville.

RSVP to WPS office at 616-538-0101 or info@wpsgr.org.