Loss enters our life from many different directions. Our experience of the painful life-changes that come with loss are based on circumstances usually beyond our control. Our response to loss, however, is an opportunity to participate in the healing nature of grief. This day of conversation and reflection will offer input and practice to support the sacred art of grieving. We will explore nature, compassion, braids of love and the present moment as resources for the varied forms of loss that come our way.

We are, in Jan Richardson’s words, “falling into a new layer of grief” as we experience these months of a global pandemic and our country’s systemic racism. Each of us experience the losses differently, at the same time we are journeying together in a liminal space that includes our collective grief. How do we find our way through the needed surrender and transformation that these times call for? How do we support ourselves and one another on a path toward healing? This three hour Zoom session will include breakout rooms, personal writing time, ritual, music and input – while offering a contemplative connection within the Zoom format. Participants are encouraged to set aside a quiet morning to explore the wisdom of grief. Come prepared with candle and matches, journal or writing paper and an open heart.

  Our grief arrives after loss, naturally, with a wisdom all its own. Instead of resisting or tolerating grief’s lessons, we are invited to embrace grief as our ally in healing. This day of input, prayer, and sharing will include conversations with creation - our teacher and resource. Losses of all kinds may be brought to the circle (death, estrangement, health, etc), though a space of 2 months after a death is suggested. Together, participants will rest in the safe space of God’s loving heart.

  Retreats, especially silent directed retreats, allow us to withdraw from the busyness of life and to reflect on and deepen our relationship with God. Directed retreats offer an experience grounded in solitude, silence, prayer and daily meetings with a spiritual director. Directed silent retreats call for receptivity to the movements of the spirit and are adapted to the needs of each individual. Mercy by the Sea, located on the shores of Long Island Sound with 33 acres of grounds, offers a safe sacred space in which to explore who we are and who God is.