By Perry Schaible
Enquirer contributor

HAMILTON - When Claudette Douglas lost her husband in January 2002 to heart trouble, she wasn't sure if her grief was normal.

"A lot of it was that I didn't understand the feelings that I had. I didn't know if they were right or wrong," Douglas, 62, said.

So with the help of her daughter she enlisted in a grief support program offered by Senior Citizens Inc. in Butler County.

"It was really good to talk to other people and get some insight into things you could do to help yourself," she said.

Today, Douglas will begin a 10-week Grief Recovery Series at the Hamilton Senior Center, 140 Ross Ave., operated by Senior Citizens Inc.

The program is open to anyone who has suffered a loss - from divorce, loss of health, a major financial change to death or moving.

"Grief recovery opens it up to a much wider range of issues so it's not just focused on the death of a loved one," said Senior Citizens Inc. spokeswoman Pam Long.

The Grief Recovery Series starts at 1 p.m. today and runs through Jan. 5.

Senior Citizens Inc. volunteer Rosalie Meadors Castleberry, a certified Grief Recovery Specialist, will run the class. The goal is to help attendees move beyond the pain.

"We are all advised to 'Let go' and 'Move on' after losses of all kinds. Most of us would do that if we knew how," Castleberry said. "It is almost impossible to move on without first taking a series of actions that lead to completion of the pain caused by the loss."

The program also serves as a way to make new friends, those who understand someone's situation and have heard their story, Long said.

The class is free to members of Senior Citizens Inc. and $20 for nonmembers. Senior Citizens Inc. operates the Hamilton, Fairfield, and West Chester senior centers.

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For more information about the series, call Castleberry at Senior Citizens Inc. at 867-9176 ext. 650.