At the latest National Alliance for Grieving Children conference, Kelli Tucker talks with Dr. Gloria Horsley about how to help those who are bereaved. Tucker works with Roberta’s House in Baltimore, the only grief center in the city. She got a job offer via email from Roberta’s House, interviewed, and was hired as the volunteer coordinator. She’s had plenty of losses herself, including her brother who was killed by a drunk driver. He was a police officer working on New Year’s Eve when he was struck and killed.

Years before that, her mother died of breast cancer. She considers the job divine intervention. She didn’t even know she was grieving—she just thought she was going a little crazy. At Roberta’s House, she found out her feelings were a normal part of grief. It was her light at the end of the tunnel and completely turned her life around.

Divine Intervention

She recommends prayer and to understand that there’s always hope. Your journey is your journey, and everyone goes through a different one. Everyone will have different ups and downs, but it’s all normal and part of the grief experience. When you come out the other end, you’re more willing to help other people. In fact, you want to in order to help them minimize pain.

While Roberta’s House is unique in Baltimore, you can find various grief resources and centers around the country as well as online. Nobody should go through grief alone, and it’s nearly impossible to do so. Just because your support system doesn’t look like you imagined doesn’t mean it’s not authentic. Many times, it takes being around those who are empathetic towards your situation, and that might not be your friends and family.