Hope + Heaviness Workshop
ENGAGING GRIEF, GRATITUDE, AND HOPE PRACTICES
WE HAVE LIVED THROUGH SO MUCH TOGETHER…
There is so much to be grateful for. And yet, the impacts of illness, violence, and division aren’t going to simply evaporate.
We won't be able to return to normal (whatever that is) as if all of this hadn’t happened to all of us collectively and to each of us in particular.
We need to heal as we rebuild and renew. We need more ways to bring our questions and complexity and grief as well as our hopefulness and gratitude into the light together.
This workshop . . .
will be a chance to engage grief (related to personal, vocational, and systemic sorrow and loss) as well as a chance to tune into hope, silver linings, and all things that give life.
“Life is glorious,
But life is also wretched.
It is both…
One inspires us,
The other softens us.
They go together.”
Practical, everyday ways of engaging sadness, loss, and anxiety are always important. They’re even more needed in this late pandemic season when many of us, as Adam Grant wrote for the New York Times, are languishing.
We all need chances to engage grief (related to personal, vocational, and systemic sorrow and loss) as well as a chance to tune into hope and silver linings.
BECAUSE LIFE IN THIS WORLD CONSISTS OF SORROW BUT ALSO GREAT BEAUTY.
LET’S PLAN A HOPE + HEAVINESS GATHERING FOR YOUR TEAM!
Here’s what to expect during the workshop:
In this workshop, I’ll frame some grief, gratitude, and hope practices. We will have a chance to engage grief (related to personal, vocational, and systemic sorrow and loss) as well as a chance to tune into hope, silver linings, and all things that give life. I will offer several different options to engage these things during our gathering and participants can select the practice of their choice. At the conclusion of our time, there will be an opportunity for those who wish to articulate what they noticed as they engaged in the activities as well as what they might try to incorporate into their self-care going forward.
You will need to have available:
Paper for tearing (junk mail, magazines, scrap paper, or catalogs are great for this but any paper will work)
Art paper or a journal (1-2 pages will be more than adequate)
Tape or glue
Colored pencils, markers, or paint
There’s no need to buy an art studio—what you have on hand will be great. And if anyone isn’t able to access these supplies for some reason, it won’t prevent you from being able to participate.
Our gathering can be designed to last 90 or 120 minutes, a full day, or to take place over a weekend retreat depending on the needs of your community.
what others have said about the workshop
“It’s such a beautiful, useful practice that I will use both myself and w/ others.”
“Thank you for the very deep and powerful practice.”
“I personally found the tearing exercise very evocative and a much-needed practice for lament.”
HI THERE, I’M TERRA.
I’m a spiritual director, teacher, and writer who loves helping folks navigate growth, change, loss, and questions with curiosity and kindness.
After a series of losses in my family that included a death threat, fraud, painful experiences in ministry, and a catastrophic house fire, I was helped by counseling, prayer, and caring friends but something was missing.
I’ve lived these lessons and have experience sharing them with those I host in spiritual direction and as well as with a variety of groups including children, clergy, health workers, spiritual directors, and university students.
INTERESTED IN HOSTING A HOPE + HEAVINESS WORKSHOP?
We’ll have a call to explore the particular needs and make-up of your community as well as the time they will have available to devote to the gathering. I’ll provide a description of the gathering as well as supplies participants will need.
During the workshop, I’ll tell a little of my own story and invite participants to begin with engaging their grief with several embodied lament practices. Participants will engage in the activity of their choice. I’ll then offer several options for surfacing hope and gratitude. After participants have an opportunity to engage their selected hope and gratitude practice, I’ll invite the group to share what they noticed about the practices, how it was to engage them in community, what they hope to spend more time on or share with a trusted friend or family member, and what they plan to incorporate into their self-care practices for the future.
Each gathering will be hosted on Zoom or in person for a maximum of 10-12 participants. Suggested fee: $300 USD.
Connect with me by clicking the button below to schedule your workshop.