First Church Nashville - Mourning to Morning Grief Recovery

Someone you love has died. You are now faced with the difficult, but important, need to mourn. Mourning is not a weakness nor absence of faith. It is the most intense process that most people ever go through. It is as natural as crying when you are hurt, eating when you are hungry, or sleeping when you are tired. Mourning is natures way of healing a broken heart.

The Mourning to Morning Ministry provides a warm atmosphere of caring acceptance and confidentiality where the grieving can find support, understanding, and friendship to help reshape their lives at a time when they barely have the energy to live day by day. At Mourning to Morning, you'll find helpful information and literature, individual and group counseling, and social interaction with others who are also experiencing loss. Mourning to Morning offers a quiet place of help and hope . . . a place for you. Be assured that by the grace of God and the caring support from understanding friends, you too can make the journey from Mourning to Morning.

YOUR GRIEF IS UNIQUE
Grief is the price you pay for love. Grief is defined by Webster as “intense emotional suffering caused by loss or deep sorrow. “ To experience it and not know what to expect or how you should feel makes the experience much worse. Like fingerprints, the experiences of grief are as individual as the one who is grieving. Don’t try to compare your experience to that of someone else. Give yourself permission to grieve and time to heal. Grief has no respect for clocks or calendars. You can make it if you fact it one day at a time.

YOU’RE NOT GOING CRAZY-YOU’RE GRIEVING
Expect to feel a multitude of emotions. Grief is a process, not an event. Experiencing grief affects your head, your heart, your spirit and your body. Confusion, anger, fear, guilt, loneliness, relief and depression are just a few of the many emotions you may feel. As strange as it may seem, these emotions are a normal and healthy response to the death of a loved one. Resolving grief takes longer than people expect. The only cure for grief is to grieve.

TALK ABOUT YOUR GRIEF
Ignoring your grief won’t make it go away. Reach out to others who will understand your feelings and allow you to talk about them. Find caring friends who will listen without judging. Avoid persons who are critical or who try to steal your grief from you. You have a right to feel and express your grief; no one has the right to take it away.

RECOVERING – AFTER THE FLOWERS HAVE FADED
Grief does not end with the funeral. It is a continuing, natural expression of love for the person who has died. Treasure the memories of your loved one for they are a lasting part of the relationship you had with that very special person.

RECONCILING YOUR GRIEF WILL NOT HAPPEN QUICKLY
The death of a loved one changes your life forever. It’s not that you won’t be happy again. It’s simply that you will never be exactly the same as before. Be patient and tolerant with yourself. The experience of grief is powerful. So, too, is your ability to help yourself heal. In grieving, you are moving toward a renewed sense of meaning and purpose in your life, toward a new morning.

DEVELOP A SUPPORT SYSTEM
There is comfort and insight gained through spending time with others who have experienced a similar experience. The most helpful thing you can do during this difficult time is to become involved with a support group. Sharing eases loneliness and allows for the expression of your grief in an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding. Mourning to Morning provides this vital resource for the bereaved and their families.

A Word of Appreciation
Allowing us to serve you is an honor, and our concern does not end after the funeral. Our desire is to offer you the care and continued support that you will need during this difficult time. In appreciation for the opportunity to serve you, and as a continuing courtesy, we are proud to offer to you and your family, the resources of Mourning to Morning.

Call for next scheduled MEETING times. The last set of meetings were at

West Harpeth Funeral Home is located at 6962 Charltote Pike, Nashville, TN 37209 Phone: 615-352-9400