Garrettsville – St. Ambrose Church will be offering to the community a grief gathering on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the church hall. We will meet from April 18th through May 23rd. The six weekly sessions offer continuous information and support for grieving individuals,. Participants should try to attend all of the sessions to take advantage of this beautiful program. Each gathering builds upon the previous gatherings. It would be helpful in our planning if interested participants would call the St. Ambrose rectory at 330-527-4105. Linda R. (Malobenski) Simpson, of Hiram, will be facilitating the grief gathering. Simpson, a graduate of James A. Garfield High School, attended Hiram College and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1994 with a Bachelor of Mortuary Science Degree. In 1995, she completed her apprenticeship in Port Clinton, Ohio, and became a licensed embalmer and funeral director in 1996. She is also licensed by the Ohio Department of Insurance, enabling her to arrange preplanned funerals. In 1999, she became a member of the American Academy of Bereavement and is now a bereavement facilitator after attending and passing the four day certification award program offered by the AAB in Nashua, New Hampshire. In June of 2000, Simpson attended the five day “World Gathering on Bereavement” in Columbus, Ohio. This wonderful event, which occurrs once every five years, allows professionals, caregivers, and grieving individuals from all over the world to gather together, to support each other, and to learn more about grief. In August of 2005, she attended the last “World Gathering on Bereavement” in Vancouver, British Columbia. People grieve for many reasons. We may grieve from the loss of a loved one through death, from the loss of a job, from the loss of a spouse and children through divorce, from the loss of a familiar home and town, or from the loss of a pet. The list is endless. We welcome all grieving individuals to our gathering. We invite you to take whatever information you need and leave the rest behind. Support means “I will walk with you, I will not try to change you or how you feel. I will simply be here beside you.”
