From a mother's pain, a healing place is born
Plympton residents open wellness center
When Denise and Ken Brack lost their teenage son seven years ago in a drunken driving accident, Denise Brack was frustrated that she couldn’t find a peaceful place to go for counseling. The uncomfortable thought of having to go to a stark hospital or office setting for grief counseling never left her.
Two years later, the Plympton resident began thinking of ways to change that. The Bracks turned an idea of opening a wellness center into reality this past January with Hope Floats Healing & Wellness Center in Kingston. Although inspired by their son’s death, the center is not meant to be a shrine to Mike but a place to help others. In the entry foyer sits a picture of a smiling Mike, with the words “This House of Hope is in memory of Mike.’’
“After we lost Mike, I looked for things to help our family cope,’’ said the 46-year-old mother of three. “All I found were support groups at a hospital, but environment is an important factor in healing. For the next few years I kept thinking, why can’t there be a better way to do this?’’
She said she proposed her idea to her husband, a Boston school teacher, to create a place that was calm and welcoming. “I said ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have this place for people to go . . .’ He said I should go for it if I felt that passionately about it. He really gave me the push.’’
In June 2008, the Bracks purchased a four-bedroom, Colonial-style house at 4 Elm St. in Kingston. Denise Brack said she felt an energy in the house immediately. For the next six months they renovated it until it fit her vision.
Funded by private donations, income from space rental, and fees for services, Hope Floats soon became a welcoming center offering grief support groups; workshops on healing, wellness topics, and spiritual mind-body connection; and yoga, Reiki, and meditation. Through outside sources, the center also offers workshops on varied topics such as cooking healthy on a budget and a weight-loss support group for teens. Hope Floats, a nonprofit, also rents space to other organizations offering similar services. Services such as the grief group are free.
Anne Welch is one of four sisters who attend the Sunday-night grief support group. She said Hope Floats has helped them cope with the death of their father from an illness and their sister’s 21-year-old son in a car accident less than 24 hours later.
“We were looking for something for my sister Patti,’’ said Welch. “Her only child was killed in a drunk driving accident. As bad as we were suffering, we couldn’t say that we knew how she felt. Other mothers in the group can help her in ways we can’t.’’
Denise Brack and Pat Tessier, who lost a son 14 years ago, are facilitators of the group. While Tessier has some formal education in grief studies, the pair mainly rely on their own experiences to guide the conversations. Also, all members of the group help one another.
“Hope Floats is phenomenal,’’ said Welch, of Braintree. “You walk in there and you’re encompassed in serenity, safety, and softness. Nobody tells you that you should be over it by now. There’s someone in the group who, 16 years later, still needs support of others who’ve experienced loss. Denise’s courage helps us get through it.’’
The Bracks designed the rooms in the cozy house to be inviting and soothing for grief sessions and private counseling. The building has several fireplaces, four furnished bedrooms, and a fully operative kitchen, which make it possible to host overnight retreats.
Even before she found the ideal setting for her endeavor, Denise Brack had a name for it. During a visit to her son’s grave, Brack saw a plaque someone had left that simply read “hope.’’ She said the phrase “hope floats’’ just came to her on that cold autumn day.
“Those words were a gift from Mike,’’ said Denise Brack. “People think when you experience a loss you get over it. That’s not true. Part of why I need to do this is because Mike is part of my every day, and he’s part of this.’’
Mike Brack’s brother and sister are part of Hope Floats, too. Younger sister Amanda’s color sketch of a girl sitting on a swing with dragonflies around her became the logo. The Bracks, like many who have experienced loss, believe dragonflies have spiritual meaning. Chris, now 22, helped write the business plan.
The Bracks are expanding their center, adding a second building on the 3-acre-plus lot to be completed this summer. Denise Brack said it will accommodate yoga and meditation classes, and possibly other mind/body programs.
“My ultimate vision,’’ she said, “is to be able to help as many people as we can. There’s so much potential here. My heart tells me where I need to be, and where I’m going with my intuition. So far it’s working.’’
Word about Hope Floats gets out mostly by networking, with some advertising in specialty publications, said Denise Brack. She also sends out a newsletter and posts events and services on www.hopefloatswellness.com.
Christie Coombs can be reached at mccoombs@comcast.net. 