Bereavement Support

Joining a bereavement group was the suggestion of a good friend. He assured me it would make the recent loss of my wife more tolerable.

I tracked down a group not far from home that met weekly. At first I thought I was in the wrong meeting room. I was the only male mourner in the group of nine.

I asked the social worker in charge, “Does this attendance reflect the national average of survivors male to female?”

“Just about,” she answered.

“You mean, I’m lucky to be alive,” I answered smugly.

“That’s right,” she answered.

Three weeks later my odds increased. Another male joined the group.

WILLIAM M. SHOLL

North Hollywood