The holiday season is traditionally a time of joy but it also can bring heartache to those who have lost loved ones.

          To help people cope, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice (GBHH&H) has scheduled a special event called “Getting Through the Holidays.” It is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1 at GBHH&H, 3520 Lakin.

          “While grieving for lost family and friends is always difficult, it is especially trying during the Christmas season,” said Larry Schumacher, GBHH&H chaplain. “It is always better to talk about your feelings with someone; if you hold it inside, it can eat you up.

          “This holiday grief session will be offered in a relaxed, open atmosphere,” Schumacher added. “We will have fellowship, tears and laughter as we try to make life a little easier for one another.”

          GBHH&H Social Worker Cathy Soeken will lend her expertise to this annual event too, Schumacher said. “Cathy has years of experience in helping people through life’s difficulties,” he said.

          GBHH&H, a non-profit agency that has been serving central Kansans since 1979, is part of the St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center family. St. Rose is part of Centura Health, which connects individuals and families across western Kansas and Colorado with more than 6,000 physicians, 15 hospitals, seven senior-living communities, physician practices and clinics, and home-care and hospice services.