“When you are an artist, you are a healer.”

"Healing from grief is not the process of forgetting,
it is the process of remembering with less pain and more joy."

GRIEF AWARENESS WEEK November 1-7, 2009
in the 1st State of Delaware

As part of the "Grief Awareness Festival"
Art Instructor Olga van Dijk (Moi)
invited all Artists and Students of the Academy of Lifelong learning
(University of Delaware, Wilmington Campus)
to participate in a very special art show
NOVEMBER 2-6, Expressing Grief through Art .

Art can help you express emotions that are very hard to put into words.
These forms of nonverbal communication are often more natural ways
to express thoughts and feelings that are difficult to discuss,
particularly when it comes to issues surrounding grief and loss.
I really wish all my students benefit by creating.
It is such a liberating way to look at the creative arts.
You'll be surprised how good it feels, once you get started.
Just remember...
The goal is not to make great art,
but to express yourself greatly.

Subjects of Grief
don’t necessarily have to cover death.
Losses are not just the deaths of loved ones, friends, and acquaintances.
Elderly also experience loss and grief with their diminished ability to do things.
It can cause them to lose a sense of purpose.
There is also the loss of their homes, possessions, health, and vocations,
not to mention their independence.

OTHER SUBJECTS COULD BE::
Grief about your children, who can’t get a long with each other/with you.
Shredded family ties.
Inclining Health
Pet loss and grief: coping with the pain
Moving
Immigrants Grief
Mental Health Disabilities
Loss of a job
Sadness behind your eyes
Broken Heart
Miscarriage

_______

Governor Jack Markell has proclaimed November 1-7 as
“Grief Awareness Week” in the First State of Delaware:
He will sign a proclamation in Dover on Wednesday October 28, to designate
the first week of November as Grief Awareness Week.
I hope you will visit the website of the
(click on) Grief Awareness Consortium (GAC)
to learn more.
Approximately 45 organizations statewide are part of the GAC.

The signature event will be on Sunday afternoon, Nov 8, in Newark (DE):
Expressing Grief
- A Festival of Healing through the Arts.

Please attend and make others aware of this opportunity for children and adults.
________

Copyright Olga van Dijk 2008©
Unauthorized copying or use of images is prohibited.
With thanks to Lee Anderson PhD