Grief, Grace & Gratitude

Grief, Grace & Gratitude 

An end of year contemplative practice. 

It’s been a long year that’s just flown right by, and I am surprised to raise my head and discover that the days are getting shorter, the weather colder, and that we are headed once again into the holiday/ end of year season. 

For me, this is always a point of reflection. Of gathering my thoughts and experiences from the past year, and making space to approach the new year thoughtfully and with intention. 

Most people don’t know this, but this past year has held some major moments of grief for me. I lost 2 Grandparents, cornerstones in my life, in a span of 10 days. While it wasn’t an unexpected loss, I’m still working through it. 

Last year many of you joined me to make space for an end of year reflection, and a thoughtful look forward. We called it “Thankful Thursdays”. Grounded in gratitude, we took a look at the months that had passed, and set intentions for the year to come. 

This year, I’d like to offer to hold a similar space for practice. I can't complete my own end of year reflections without including the processing of grief, and I suspect the truth is that many of us are harboring some sort of grief that benefits from processing. It's my belief that we benefit from holding space for this together. 

This year, I’d like to honor the Grandparents who joined the ancestors and live in my heart. I’ll do my best to include the modes that would have been their preference - visual art, poetry, reflection and I’ll include some “woo” since that’s just part of how I do this work.

Instead of charging for this program, I’m asking that donations be made to one of the wonderful groups listed below. 

Donate what you can, and send me an email at softeningtosoul@gmail.com to register. Please include: 

• which charity you selected (I will take you at your word and do not need to know how much).
• Anything you might like to share about why you signed-up, what you are celebrating, grieving, struggling with or giving yourself grace for at this time. I’ll do my best to address these aspects over the course of our weeks together. 

How It Works (The Details): 

• We’ll be in practice together for 5 weeks from Nov 21 to Dec 19.
• Each Sunday you’ll receive an email from me with guidance for the week. This may include practices such as journaling, meditation, reflection, time alone, a dance party or a pillow fight. You make room for these in whatever way works for your life, schedule, family, etc. The idea is just that you make a little room somewhere for yourself and for this work.
• I’ll host a facebook group for the duration of the program so that participants who are interested in community have the opportunity to connect. 

Please note, as this years’ offering is donation based it does not include the welcome package that I sent out last year (notebook, candle, tea/coffee, love note). I did get feedback that many participants enjoyed these packages, and that they helped them continue their regular practice. If you would like to receive a package this year, please let me know in your email. You can Paypal or Venmo me directly for these and I’ll be happy to put them together and send them out. (Price based on number of interested participants.)

I look forward to sharing these practices, and holding space for our work together.

If you’d like to learn more about who this program honors (for me), you’re welcome to check out the obituaries for a tip of the iceberg view of their amazing lives. 

Louise L. Averback - https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/canton-ma/louise-averback-10361691

Freddy H. Frankel - 

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/freddy-frankel-obituary?pid=200067964

Please donate to one of the following prior to registering. Thank you.

The Boris L Henson Foundation - https://borislhensonfoundation.org/

“Founded in 2018, within a short time, BLHF has built its reputation on the promise of providing trusted referrals and demonstrating a deep understanding of the population health of communities of color.  Through timely and relevant programming and awareness campaigns, it is the hope that mental health will become a known quantity within Black communities, helping the Foundation to achieve a critical mass of Black self-care advocates and allies nationwide. Through a myriad of corporate partnerships, BLHF encourages mental wellness; raises awareness of the stigma and the use of stigmatizing language when referring to mental illness; provides mental health resources and support, offers scholarships to Black students who seek a career in the mental health field; extends mental health services to young people in underserved schools and communities, combats recidivism and supports re-entry for returning citizens.”

American Society of Interior Design Foundation  - https://www.asid.org/foundation/reasons-to-give

“The ASID Foundation is working to build a stronger, highly-educated, and socially-conscious design community. The Foundation is dedicated to providing the resources and tools necessary to grow the interior design profession through scholarships, research, and education with the support and donations of members like you.”

Together Rising - https://togetherrising.org/give/

“Together Rising transforms collective heartbreak into effective action. In a world where crises abound and heartbreak is in every community, people who want to help often don’t know where to turn. Together Rising is where to turn….Together Rising identifies what is breaking the hearts of our givers as they look around their world and their community, and then we connect our givers’ generosity with the people and organizations who are effectively addressing that critical need.”

Thankful Thursdays Winter 2020 is now complete. If you would like to join-us for the next season of the program, please drop your email below. We'd love to have you!