Creating Circles of Friendship and Care in these Times
Mondays, Starting Sept 21st
4:00 to 5:00 pm
We invite you to join us once a week for connection, inspiration and mutual support.
“This group is, to me, an entirely safe place in which to expand my being — to explore and express with a few others the depth of my experience of “right now”. You two — Alice and Penny — invite us into the deeper conversations that I love and need in order to feel “met” in community. Superficial talk is a good, friendly and valuable thing in everyday social interactions, but here I get beneath that, both in my sharing and in the sharing of the others. I leave feeling my heart touched. What could be better?” ~ Frances Westover
I enjoy the experience of authentic and open conversation in a wit(h)nessing space held with love and respect. Turning to One Another has provided this for me and I have, at times, been surprised by what I learn about myself from what I hear myself say. Last week was a great example when I started talking about my irritation. I like to think of myself as one who can hold an even temper and open heart at all times – it was really useful for me to ‘fess up’ to the feelings of irritation and frustration that were present in me, and know that I would not be judged for them. After the call I dug a little deeper and wrote a poem capturing the impact of these feelings in the context of the isolation I’ve been living in. Turning to One Another was a space for healing in the wit(h)nessing and the writing. I’m deeply grateful for these weekly conversations and your presence in them.~ Medwyn McConachy
Each week we will offer a nurturing space:
- to be seen, heard and felt.
- to share the complexity of experience we are all navigating in this potent time of change.
- to befriend ourselves, and one another, as we open our hearts to the greater whole of life and the reality/revelation of death.
- to honour that which is falling away.
- and welcome that which arriving,
- together, befriending the change we are now being asked to be in this world.
The format for our gatherings:
We will arrive into the Zoom on-line computer space, open with ceremony, and see and hear who is present with a check in. A shared practice of awareness to feel the embrace of community in grief and praise, sadness and joy, despair and delight will be offered to support self-care each week.
This is an invitation to seniors in our community, and open to all generations, with a designated young person to bear witness, through deep listening and reflection, for intergenerational learning and care.
Each week we invite you to bring a buddy, and/or create a buddy within the group. As we meet and are met in new ways, we discover the blessings of self-regulation and co-regulation. Together we are growing new capacities we didn’t know we had, and being changed in ways we never knew possible.
Facilitated by Penny Allport with Alice Meyers and the Living Well, Dying Well team. Offered free of charge and donations welcome.
To Join the Meeting: follow the Zoom link. Feel free to join the meeting 10 minutes early if you would like Zoom guidance.
To request assistance or for more information, please email Alice.