Resources for Grieving
Each person's grief is as unique as their fingerprint. But what everyone has in common is that no matter how they grieve, they share a need for their grief to be witnessed. —David Kessler
Death, loss, and grief are profound, inevitable experiences that will affect every one of us. They also hold the potential for deep spiritual awakening and learning. To honor the profound loss of life due to the pandemic we offer these resources on grieving from A Network for Grateful Living, Spirituality & Practice, On Being, and more.
Resources for Tumultuous Times
As we grapple with the deep divisions in our country, and what it will take to uphold our fragile democracy, we share some of our partners’ resources to help us replenish our spirits and fortify ourselves for the work ahead. We offer these resources knowing that not everyone has the luxury of time and space to do any more than this moment is currently requiring physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Winter: Our Challenge to "Get Out in It"
Each year, on the winter solstice, we share this reflection on the season by Parker Palmer. In 1995 Parker wrote a welcome for the Fetzer Institute's newly built retreat center, Seasons, which included a reflection on each of the four seasons. Here we excerpt his musings on winter in the Upper Midwest where he lives and where the Fetzer Institute is located.
December Practice: Make a Comfort Basket
As we close out a year that has cracked many of us open, we offer a lovely practice designed by Kay Klinkenborg, spiritual director, retired RN, and LMFT: making a comfort basket. By harvesting items and memories that provide refuge in difficult times, this is a gift we can give ourselves.
Walking with the Dragonflies
This piece is part of a series offered by the GilChrist community during the month of October about practices of healing, in honor of GilChrist’s 25th anniversary on October 15.
Fewer Band-Aids, More Culture
This piece is part of a series offered by the GilChrist team during the month of October about practices of healing, in honor of GilChrist’s 25th anniversary on October 15.
“Nursing is concerned with promoting health, preventing illness, caring for the sick, and restoring health.”
—Jean Watson, Theory of Human Caring
Volunteering on the GilChrist Grounds
Guests are invited to get their hands in the soil during the 25 Days of GilChrist! We welcome willing volunteers to help our staff with the care and maintenance of the land and gardens that we hold dear. Tasks may include weeding, pruning, raking, or other fall clean-up projects as they arise.
Please fill out this form or email gilchrist@fetzer.org to indicate your interest in helping out on the GilChrist grounds.
Labyrinth Walking
Guests are welcomed to sign up to walk the labyrinth at GilChrist, as a way to celebrate our 25th anniversary! Our hope is to have at least one walker per day between October 1-25, to reflect the importance of being present on the land -- particularly in these challenging times.
Please fill out this form or email gilchrist@fetzer.org to indicate what date and time of day you would like to walk the labyrinth.
September Practice: Sacred Spaces and Places
Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again. —Joseph Campbell
As we cope with the difficulties, the losses, and uncertainties of this time, visiting a sacred space or place can be a refuge, a reminder to take a deep breath, to re-center ourselves, to pray, to meditate, or to engage in meaningful ritual.
August Practice: Pilgrimages Close to Home
Pilgrimage: a visit to a place that is considered special, where you go to show your respect —Cambridge.org