Barb Petsel speaking at a Voices United meeting
Dianne Ace
The May meeting of Voices United featured a talk by Barb Petsel concerning grief and our response to it. Barb, who retired in 2019, is a licensed professional counselor, registered nurse, and the former program director of Journey of Hope, a grief support center.
Barb explained that grief is the emotions and thinking inside you, and mourning is the extralization of grief. She said, “The expert in grief is you, the griever.” She also reminded the group that grief will always be part of your life. “There is no timeline with grief. It is a process.”
Barb advised that someone who is experiencing grief should remember to use self-compassion: self-kindness versus self-judgment. Always give compassion to yourself.
Barb closed by saying, “What if the hole is an opening in the heart—not to be filled in, but a place of stretching, a space where our capacity to love grows.”
Voices United is a non-partisan group of Robson Ranch women who share progressive values, perform community outreach, provide civic awareness and social contact for members, and have a good time! We’re a 501(c)(3) group. Our annual dues are $25. For more information, go to www.voicesunitedrr.org.