Transitions
September 22, 2011(Thursday)
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Fee: $30
Facilitator: Maria Sutherland, SC
Just think of the changes you have experienced during your lifetime! What have these experiences taught you that can help you find energy and hope for the changes facing you now and in the future? How does faith help? These are the questions we will explore together today. This program has particular significance for those of you at a turning point in life through age, retirement, illness, loss of a loved one, inviting you to explore these changes and allow them to open you to the new life they offer.
Emotions: Gifts of God
October 20, 2011 (Thursday)
10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Fee: $30
Facilitator: Maria Sutherland, SC
Do you ever think of your emotions as gifts of God? Do you ever listen to the wisdom they offer you? Most of us don’t, yet emotions are driving powers and accurate indicators of our values. They bring sharper awareness and better decision-making. They affect our attitudes, our perceptions, our behaviour. Isn’t that enough to convince you that they are gifts of God – and to make you want to learn more about how they can be used positively for growing, as Jesus did, “in grace and wisdom”? That’s what we’ll do today.
Loneliness
November 3, 2011 (Thursday)
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Fee: $30
Facilitator: Maria Sutherland, SC
“Have you ever been lonely? Have you ever been blue?” an old song asks. And most of us can answer a resounding “ Yes, indeed” to those questions, and “I haven’t liked it at all!” Indeed, people of all ages feel lonely, even in the midst of people who love them and activities they enjoy. Today we’ll reflect on loneliness, where it comes from and how it affects our lives and our culture. We’ll share ways to live with it with greater acceptance. We’ll look into our loneliness to find “courage and hope, and what is brave and lovely and true in life” (Clark Moustakas, Loneliness)
Life Goes On: Midyears and Beyond
November 17, 2011 (Thursday)
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Fee: $30
Facilitator: Maria Sutherland, SC
Remember Buzz Lightyear – “To Infinity and Beyond!” Well, not quite, but there is a world to be explored in the second half of life. This period is a lot longer now than it used to be, thanks to medical advances and longer life expectancy. “The noon of life”, Jung writes, “ is the moment . . . when the twilight is born: the second half of life is beginning.” Today is an opportunity to examine the themes and the invitations of the later years of life, to look back and ahead, to remember and to dream. As one woman put it, “Age is real. Think about it.”
