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Local chaplain leads grief-literacy talk and offers support options ahead of holidays
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Summary
Leah Blackwell, a hospice chaplain and health-council member, led a grief-literacy presentation for the council, describing Golden Willow's model and local grief resources, and announced a recurring grief group meeting and plans for a children's grief group in spring.
Leah Blackwell, a member of the Los Alamos Health Council and a chaplain with the Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service, presented a 45‑minute talk to the council on grief literacy and practical ways the community can support people facing loss as the holidays approach.
Blackwell explained the Golden Willow Retreat model, which reframes classic grief "stages" as flexible "aspects"—insulation, protest, connecting the dots, surrender and acknowledgement—and stressed that grief is non‑linear. "Grief is like observing the ocean," she said. "Sometimes the water just tickles your toes, and other times it hits you like a 50‑foot wave. Allow it. Surrender to it. You will surface."
She led a short grounding meditation and offered concrete, actionable suggestions for supporting grieving people: invite them to a different holiday meal, help commemorate a loved one with pictures or a candle, and make specific offers (for example, bringing a meal or writing cards together) rather than open‑ended offers of help.
Blackwell also described local resources: a grief support group that meets Tuesdays at 3 p.m. at Rivera Funeral Home (next six‑week cycle starts Nov. 18), Golden Willow Retreat (goldenwillowretreat.org) for online and in‑person groups, Gerard's House for children's grief support in Santa Fe, and a grief center in Albuquerque. She said the community will pilot a children's grief group in Los Alamos next spring.
During Q&A, members asked about chaplain qualifications and the difference between hospital chaplains and community hospice chaplains; Blackwell said qualifications vary by setting and described her hospice training and certification.
The council thanked Blackwell for the practical guidance and asked staff to circulate resource flyers and consider adding grief support information to local resource listings.
