Few things are more devastating than the loss of a husband or wife.

A Clanton woman, however, is turning her loss into a way to help others who are going through the same kind of pain.

Brenda Mims is starting a ministry through her church, Calvary Baptist Church, for anyone who has lost their spouse through death.

“I want everyone to be able to share their experiences and gather strength and comfort from each other,” she said.

Mims, 58, lost her husband, Bobby, to liver cancer on June 28 of this year. He was 59 years old.

If anything eased Brenda’s pain, it was knowledge of her husband’s condition and the assurance that he would go to heaven, which allowed her to prepare herself emotionally.

“We talked and he was ready to go, but not everyone has that opportunity,” she said.

Through prayer, Brenda began to feel God was giving her a vision of helping others who had experienced similar loss. She knew that in some cases, death comes sudden and the resulting shock can seem overwhelming.

After mulling over the idea for about three weeks, she made her idea public and got support from her church.

“I feel this is really what I should do,” she said. “I have a lot of thoughts of how I handled [loss]. I was able to carry on, but many people don’t have the support of family.”

The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2 in the fellowship hall of Calvary Baptist Church, at 7 p.m. This ministry is open to both men and women. Light refreshments will be served.

Future meeting times will be announced at a later date. For more information, call 755-9472.

“People need to know there is a way to get through this,” Brenda said. “You do it day by day.”

– Scott Mims can be reached at scott.mims@clantonadvertiser.com.