I've now been retired from the hospital for almost a month. I'm grateful for the work I did. I have no longing to return.
Those of you who know me in real life know that I am a pretty good second chair, offering advice and counsel and support.
You also know that I struggle to decide which things are most important at the moment, particularly when it comes to pursuing research. Having a sounding board in those kinds of projects is very helpful.
Someday, I may start a grief research institute. I have the questions, and sometimes can help find the answers, but for now, I don't need to develop all that structure. I simply want to keep figuring out being helpful.
I’m reading and writing about grief research, more so with not having to be in the hospital.
I’m thinking about a book project (A Grief Support Handbook) and gathering up some of what I've written already.
I'm attending to grief literacy in general and in our community.
But I’m also following a thread of research relating to grief and church: How can churches be as helpful as possible for grieving people?
There is a lot of experience (good and bad), a lot of opinion (good and bad), a few programs, very little research, and some important needs.
I need to have a small group of people who are curious about that question and interested in helping me answer that question by acting as a sounding board for building out the research.
Eventually, I'll be moving into some survey research with pastors and with congregations and then working on some helpful writing.
The people who provide coffee money already have investment in the work I'm doing. If you are one of those people who would like to be part of a sounding board, would you fill out this short survey? It will mostly mean occasional emails saying, "Does this make sense?"
Thanks.
Jon
