Happy Hour for Sad People: an Unconventional Grief Circle

A grief circle at a bar. Grounded Grief x Advice Booth's monthly grief circle.

February’s Theme: The Broken Hearts Club

Love hurts. And it's the only thing that makes life worth living.

Ah, the month of Valentine's Day - where we're supposed to celebrate romantic love with candy hearts and fuzzy teddy bears. If you just rolled your eyes, you're not alone.

Because this corporate Hallmark holiday can highlight everything we're missing, everyone we've lost, everything that's wrong with our world. And in 2026, it's easy to be cynical. It's easy to close ourselves off to love because...the horrors persist.

But the more grief we hold. The more love we need.

Because the truth is, keeping our hearts open to love has always meant keeping our hearts open to pain.

And love is beautiful AND painful. Love is full of joy AND loss. So how do we keep love alive in the midst of overwhelming grief? By continuing to tell the truth with our whole hearts- the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly.

Most of us who are grieving don't want to just grieve. We also want to love, laugh, and be part of the party.

Welcome to a different kind of Valentine's Event with Grounded Grief and Rhinestone, PDX.

If you're looking for a different type of Valentine's event - one that celebrates both the joy AND pain of all types of love, then you're invited to Grounded Grief x Rhinestone PDX's Valentine's Grief circle!

This is a space where we talk about how love has healed and hurt us- where tears are welcome amidst celebration & joy.

Because even when love sucks, love never truly leaves our side.

Why a bar?

Because grief doesn't just need a special "sanctuary" or private room. Grief belongs everywhere because every human experiences it. Grief belongs at the party, too. Even if it's crying in the corner, it belongs in the midst of love and laughter because it wouldn't exist without those things.

What can you expect?

Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, an identity, a dream, a health diagnosis, or the state of the world—you are welcome here.

• Grief-themed games & activities designed to help us laugh and move through our heartbreak without drowning in it (think:

  Valentine's to ourselves, Never Have Ever: Love Edition, Mad Libs for Heartbreak, & We're Not Really Strangers style prompts to encourage meaningful conversation).

• Special grief-themed cocktails + mocktails cooked up by the rad owners of Rhinestone PDX.

• A community of people who are figuring out how to keep loving even in the face of tremendous loss.

• Zero pressure to share anything you don't want to share. You can go as deep or stay as shallow as you want. There is no "right" way to grieve and no requirement to share your story out loud.

• A licensed therapist-led space that's facilitated expertly. You don't have to worry about one person dominating the space; you'll leave feeling a little more supported and uplifted, not depressed.

• The Vibe: We're here to talk about our most intense losses and the stupid show we watched on TV last night. Because we contain multitudes.

• First time? You're in good company. Many people come solo, and our facilitator makes sure everyone feels included from the jump.

  
  

The Details:

• When: The fourth Monday evening of every month

• First Event of 2026: Monday, January 26th @ 7:00 pm

• Where: Rhinestone PDX - 2100 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202

• Tickets: $15 (Sign up via Eventbrite or at www.groundedgrief.com)

  
  

Financial Hardship: We never want the ticket price to be a barrier to support. If you're experiencing financial hardship, please email katherine@groundedgrief.com, and we can help you out.

Grief is just love with nowhere to go. Come give it a place to land.

We can't wait to toast you and your broken heart <3