During the holiday season, you will look around and see families happily shopping for gifts, couples holding hands through the mall and people humming along to holiday songs.
But if you’re going through a separation or divorce, the holiday sparkle has dimmed and holiday cheer may be a painful memory.
Even though you may have some tough emotional times this season, you can still not only survive but also enjoy the holidays this year. The key is to be prepared.
“You want friends who are going to build you up, who are going to listen to you and nurture you and take you to places that are good, safe places. Protect yourself above all,” said marriage and family counselor H. Norman Wright.
A safe place to find people who understand is through a divorce recovery support group.
Such a group can provide you with friends who understand what you are going through and who can be a mutual support through the holiday season.
“The friends that I’ve met in DivorceCare [a divorce support group] really helped,” one of the DivorceCare participants said, “because we kept connected over the holidays. Having people going through the same thing I’m going through takes away the aloneness, and I feel like someone else is doing this and is making it work, so I can too.”
Most people will tell you that separation and divorce are the most painful and stressful experiences they’ve every faced. It’s a confusing time when you feel isolated and have lots of questions about issues you have never faced before.
DivorceCare meets weekly to help you meet these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Each DivorceCare session has two distinct elements: a video seminar featuring experts on divorce and a small group time to discuss what was presented in that week’s video seminar and what is going on in the lives of group members.
DivorceCare is a free, 13-week course that begins at Summerland Baptist Church Sunday, Oct. 30, 7 to 9 p.m.
To sign up or find out more about DivorceCare, call Summerland Baptist Church at 250-494-3881.