Harvest United offers holiday grief services in Lakewood Ranch

Lakewood Ranch resident Sybil Porter understands grief and how difficult it can be to negotiate the holidays while carrying such a burden.

Porter’s granddaughter, Payton Wright, died at age 5, on May 29, 2007, of a cancerous tumor.

“We miss her all the time, but we miss her on the holidays even more,” said Porter, who is a member of Harvest United Methodist Church in Lakewood Ranch. “The holidays always bring up (the question), ‘What would she being doing now, what would she like?’”

Porter was asked last December by the Rev. Michael Pestel to organize a grief service called the Hope and Healing Worship Gathering. The event was a success, and Pestel announced the service will be held for the second time at 6 p.m. Dec. 12.

“We know people don’t look forward to the holiday season because they’ve lost children, a spouse or whatever,” Pestel said. “This service helps them with that.”

Sometimes the service just allows people to release their emotions, especially those who recently have lost loved ones.

“We’re not saying goodbye forever, just goodbye for now,” Pestel said. 

Porter hopes the service will reach more people than a year ago.

“It’s OK to be broken,” she said. “It helps to be together with people having the same issues. This year, we’re going to have handprints made out of basal wood. People can write (names of lost loved ones) on the hands, and we’ll make it into some sort of collage. There will also be a lighting of the candles, and possibly writing down sentiments during the service. All of that helps people release how they’re feeling. Seeing all the people come up, you don’t feel like you’re alone in your sadness.”