HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-09-22, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011. PAGE 19.
By Rev. Dr. Peter Kugba-
Nyande
Walton-Bluevale Pastoral
Charge
As summer virtually comes to an
end, we all remember wonderful
moments of various activities.
Camping, anniversaries, cruises,
community festivities, the plowing
match, family reunions and enjoying
delicious food all come to mind. At
the same time there were others who
experienced great sadness for the
loss of loved ones. I am one of
those persons that was gripped by
sadness over the loss of my younger
brother.
In July, I was already in Toronto
on vacation with my family in
Toronto but also had plans to attend
an Emotional Intelligence – Human
Relations Skills Workshop to be
held July 18-22 in DeWitt,
Michigan. On Sunday, July 3, after
attending a Community Church, I
was driving to drop off a colleague
of mine at his residence. By
coincidence, I became absent-
minded, and my attention was drawn
to some form of mishap while at the
same time driving. In a state of
confusion I almost ran through a red
light until everyone in the van
alerted my attention to stop. No
sooner than was all this happening, I
received a call from Sierra Leone
that my younger brother has passed
away.
People respond to loss and grief in
different ways, as the experience is
unique for each of us. However, we
all share common ground in the
experience of grief. It is quite
normal for the power of these
emotions to interfere with your life.
Many people experience emotions in
a way which they have never
experienced emotions before. Grief
can have physical, as well as
emotional and spiritual symptoms,
such as: major depressions, weight
loss, sleep disturbances, illness,
physical aches and pains.
One may experience guilt related
to feelings of what was or what
could have been done, to prevent the
death or loss. This time I blame my
brother’s death due to the lack of
adequate medical equipment for the
doctors to diagnose what was wrong
in the first instance he came to the
hospital two months prior to his
death.
The grieving process takes time
and the intensity of the grief is
directly affected by how sudden or
expected the loss was and how close
you were to the person who passed
away. Just as we all experience grief
in different ways; we all deal with
grief in different ways. The same
night of the news of my brother’s
passing some family friends came to
visit me.
Since I wasn’t in any mood to see
anyone, I just greeted them and
returned to cry alone. Some people
withdraw from the people around
them, while others reach out for
support. Some people prefer to
become very busy to take their
minds off the loss, while others
become lethargic. For some, talking
about the person with friends and
loved ones is easy, and for others
this is easier to do with a therapist.
However, it is important to avoid self
destructive or dangerous behaviour
like drinking and drug use. These
activities only act to postpone the
pain and can serve to make matters
much worse.
One of the things that came to my
mind was to travel and be present at
the funeral service of my brother.
But when I calculated the cost
of the air ticket, the internal travel,
and the actual funeral rites, which
amounted to approximately
$3,500, my heart was broken. A
couple, both colleagues in the
Presbytery offered to help with
$1,000, but my mind was now made
up to repair the local church and put
a memorial plaque on the wall
instead.
I was happy they agreed to donate
to this cause, and through their
donation the community enjoys
worshiping in the new building. 2
Corinthians 6:3-10 reminds us:
“What ever disaster meets us, we
want to meet it with sincerity, with
insight and patience; by sheer
kindness and Holy Spirit; with
genuine love, speaking the plain
truth, and living by the power of
God.”
There is no prescribed way to
grieve. Grief is a normal emotion
and it will get easier over time.
Attend worship services that
honour the deceased and share in the
comfort of others. Spend time with
friends and family who are also
experiencing the loss. Talk about
your feelings, even if you are not
interested in talking about them.
Eating may not be an appealing idea,
but it is important to maintain a
healthy diet for balancing your body
and mind. It may be difficult to get
motivated, but it is necessary to
exercise.
In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and 2
Corinthians 6:3-10, we are reminded
that everything in life has a time and
purpose, and that God is ultimately
at work in our lives, at all times,
including the difficult times such as
bereavement or loss of a love one.
Among the compelling scriptures
that bring comfort to many including
myself comes from Romans 8:38-
39. In his own personal testimony,
the apostle Paul said “I am
persuaded” and want us to
understand that there is nothing in
all the world – whether we are dead
or alive, whether they are things we
now face or things we will face in
the future, whether they are above us
– that can separate us from the
“Love of God” that is in Christ
Jesus.
In his final word, Jesus says, he is
the only way to God. Jesus shows
that the way to eternal life, though
unseen, is secured. As the way, Jesus
is our path to the father. As the
truth, he is the reality of God’s
promises. As the truth, he joins his
divine life to ours, both now and
eternally.
May the souls of all loved ones
and the souls of all the faithful have
eternal life. Amen.
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, September 25
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, September 25
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
September 25: Mt. 16:21ff
“The Cost and
Reward of
Following Jesus”
Evangelical Missionary Church
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Bible Study
Saturday - Ladies’ Retreat
in Wingham
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
September 25
Jesus and His Family
Please join us for worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, September 25
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
Sunday, September 25, 2011
9:25 a.m.
Sunday School for all ages
10:30 a.m.
Rev. Mark Royall speaking
OLYMPIANS BEGINS
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 28TH
Registration
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
with
“Fast-Track
Racing”
Bring your
favourite Hot Wheels car and
join the competition!
Lots of things to do and see
- for kids in grades JK-6
From the Minister’s StudyA look at the common ground of grief
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