It's not easy to cope with life after a loved one dies and often times this can lead to a major emotional crisis.

Patient Advocate Mark Geisler says, "Grief is like a tunnel and there is only one way through it, and that's to feel your way through it. We sometimes think that it's something we ought to be able to get over quickly and that is really never the case."

And knowing there's a local grief support group that's ready to help you through your grief may be just the answer you're looking for--- and it may even add more to your life that you may think----as Arlene Roberts-Lutz found out when she met Wally at this support group nearly 6 years ago. "His wife had died in January and my husband had died in February of the same year. So, we just started kind of palling around together more or less for companionship, and then all of a sudden he asked me if I would like to have a diamond, and who would say no to a diamond ring? Then we got married."

Wally Lutz says, "She was just the kind of person I was looking for even though I didn't come into the group looking for a mate."

Chaplin David Goins says that no one understands the pain of losing a loved one like someone who has experienced the same loss. Bringing people together to give them a place to share their feelings helps them work through their grief. "The group is made up of such nice people that have experienced this that they are very compassionate, they are very understanding and it's not long before a brand new person can feel very comfortable and open up very well."

Wally also says, "We may spend a whole hour in a half laughing, telling stories, or we may spend the whole hour and a half crying. Tears are something that people accept. And we go out to a different restaurant each week after our 90-minute meeting.

Remember this story is to remind you that you don't have to be alone if you're going through grief, there's a family of support that's ready to welcome you to their group to help.

The Loss & Grief Support Group meets Wednesdays at 10:00 am in the Patty Berg Cancer Center. For information call Mark Geisler, at 939-8319.