TOLEDO—The “Today and Beyond” ecumenical bereavement support group is celebrating it’s ninth year of service to the community by expanding to include a daytime program.

The support group meets at Toledo Christ the King Parish Center meeting room on the second Tuesday each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. A newly formed group is to meet from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday.

The six facilitators (two men and four women) agree adding a daytime meeting may be helpful for many people who either work in the evening or are unable to travel after dark.  

“Not only will the daylight hours help those people that don’t drive after dark, it will also offer another meeting time for people who want to attend more than one meeting per month,” says Terry McKown, the coordinator for the group. “Our same facilitators will guide both groups but the topics will vary at each meeting,” she adds.

The facilitators emphasize it’s OK to grieve at your own pace. They believe the idea that grieving is over and done in a matter of months is crazy. For many the finality of loss is just beginning to set in after the first year. Often, that’s when grief becomes very real. According to Ms. McKown, “One thing we do know is you never 'get over' the death of a loved one.  You learn to live with loss and by the grace of God, most are able to find new meaning to their life and happiness again.”

The goal of each facilitator in the group, says Ms. McKown, is to support every person who walks through the door. “We believe the love and memories of our loved one remains with us,” she continues. “We believe it’s important for each person to find their own way to honor the person who died, and reconcile the loss of that person in their life.”

The six facilitators come from a variety of backgrounds. Ed, a member of Sylvania St. Joseph and Pat, from Toledo Blessed Sacrament have both been with the group for two years and suffered the loss of their spouses. Grace, a member of St. Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, lost her young daughter and her husband in the same year.

“You wonder if life will ever have meaning again," she says. “There are so many feelings, sad times, and tears that can overwhelm you. That’s when a support group really helps,” she says.

Dottie, Glenda and Terry are all members of Christ the King.  

“I think the reason our support group has stayed together so long is because each of us has had our own life experiences with death,” explains Dottie. “The shock, anger, adjustments and readjustments are well known to us. We can’t, and won’t, tell someone how to grieve,” she adds, “but we can listen to their story, share dialog, and be a companion as they travel through their own grief experience.”

Ms. McKown says the group facilitators take advantage of educational opportunities offered in the Toledo area and all agree on the importance of solid education in the realm of death, dying, and loss in order to companion others who have had their world shaken.  

For more information regarding the support group, which is open to people from all walks of life, call 419-475-4348, ext. 112 or e-mail Terry at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it