Above & Beyond, library offer puppet show on grief support

     Above & Beyond Home Health and Hospice is partnering with the Monticello Public Library on Wednesday, April 26 to offer a free puppet show inspired by the book “Heart-Shaped Pickles.”

     The event will be held at 2:15 p.m. (April 26 is an early dismissal day for the Monticello School District.)

     The event is geared toward anyone, kids and grown-ups, who has ever felt sad following the death of someone dear.

     The book is about a girl named Jenny who, at the age of 5, loses both of her grandfathers just weeks apart. Jenny is sad when she can no longer play games and make memories with her grandfathers. And, she sees just how sad her parents are, too, over the loss. To distract Jenny from the pain, her parents play a game at the dining room table to see who could eat the most pickles. Jenny sticks her fork into the jar and pulls out a heart-shaped pickle. The symbol reminds Jenny of the love her grandfathers had for her, knowing they’re together in a better place. Ever since then, she starts seeing hearts everywhere.

     The puppet show will be performed by Above & Beyond Hospice volunteer Nancy Bechler.

     “The story is how children become resilient, can spur ideas, and how to get the conversation started about grief,” explained Carol DeJong, Above & Beyond bereavement coordinator. “Families can grieve together.”

     “Nancy spent a lot of time preparing it,” complimented Above & Beyond Community Relations Coordinator Andrea Chapman.

     The book and puppet show are geared toward a child’s level of understanding, but open to all ages and parents/guardians.

     There will be copies of “Heart-Shaped Pickles” available to those in attendance following the puppet show.

     As for partnering with the library, Chapman said the library is a safe place for children to go, and a great place to start bringing the topic of grief up with others.

     “This is a light-hearted way to let people know about the natural responses to a loss,” explained DeJong.

     Above & Beyond will also provide the afternoon snack at the event.

     Aside from events like this, Above & Beyond is holding a youth grief camp on June 17 at Camp Courageous from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Children are divided up into different age groups. There is an educational component tailored to each age level about grief.

     “The camp is a way to dive deeper into the topics surrounding grief,” said Chapman. “It’s a place for youth to go to share their feelings.”

     DeJong said in our culture, it is natural for people to shut down and refrain from sharing their feelings or talking about the death of a loved one, friend, or even a pet.

     “Kids always have a lot of questions,” Chapman added when it comes to losing someone close to them.

     “We just encourage people to have hope,” offered DeJong. “We all walk through grief at some time in our lives unfortunately. We don’t get over it, but have the support to look for something in moving on.”

     The puppet show at the library is free and open to the public.