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In the Client's Words
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"Our last session strengthened images of what I would like to have in hand by the end of this month. Somehow, that has eased everything..."
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Gratitude & Compassion
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Practice:
"Moonrise"
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Find the "moon" in your own daily experience.
What has risen up as an unexpected moment of beauty in your day?
Feel the calm this gift brings and then offer yourself to others out of that peaceful place.
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Books by
Jennifer J. Wilhoit
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Common Ground Between Crafts Collectives and Conservation
Weaving a Network
Available on Amazon or by order at your local bookstore
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Quote for the Month
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In human relations one should penetrate to the core of loneliness in each person and speak to that.
Bertrand Russell
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TEALarbor stories'
mission is to compassionately support people as they discover & convey through writing their deepest stories.
Offering:
Writing Services
Story & Nature
Guiding ©
Life Transition Support
Mediated Conversations
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Greetings!
While the east coast continues to get hit with winter storms, here on the southerly Pacific coast we're enjoying sunshine and sumptuous warmth. From many geographies, though, I'm hearing about the icy cold of grief; it is cropping up in professional, personal, social, civic, and spiritual realms.
Everyday for weeks, I have received calls, emails, and witnessed face-to-face sharing in which individuals unravel stories about their current grief journeys. They note the significance of losses around them: sitting with someone who is dying, witnessing rifts and ruptures in relationships, bearing business losses, navigating fears of financial insecurity, acknowledging their loss of hope or opportunity or ability, carrying despair about the destruction of wild places or decaying social conditions around the globe. People are facing losses of all scope and dimension. It is palpable; this grief and loss experience seems to be floating in the air.
I have opened up my journal repeatedly in recent days, scrawling a sentence or paragraph or phrase about my own grief journeys, about the openheartedness I feel as others lay their sorrows upon the day, about the preciousness of this beautiful and sometimes-poignant life we are gifted.
Last evening I was ushered out to watch the sunset colors and then, turning in the other direction, I watched the full moon rise over the tops of gravestones at the historic cemetery in the neighborhood. As that fleshy moon crested the horizon and proceeded behind and above the treetops, I was filled with peace. Abiding peace and calm. It was the balm for my heart, the quietude for my head, the beauty for my eyes. I heard the words: "This is all you need." Indeed!
The focus for this newsletter is "writing grief". This feels like a good time to open a little wider the door into the conversation about grief. In the next section, you'll find some writing activities intended to do just that.
Blessings,
Jennifer Wilhoit, Writing Mentor & Guide
TEALarbor stories
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TEALarbor stories' newsletters offer inspiration, encouragement, and
beauty; inform about the connection between story, the natural world, and all things writerly; and promote professional writing, guiding, and mediation services.
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Spotlight: Writing Grief & Loss
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There are infinite ways to plod, stroll, crawl, cry, sit, ponder, and question our way through the landscape of grief and loss. At times, it is a foreign, foreboding place. Other times, it is a pastoral respite.
Here are some ways you can begin writing through the losses, griefs large or small, in your own life:
- journal
- write a letter to someone who has passed away
- in the sand at the edge of the tideline, make a list of things you're letting go; watch the incoming waters wash it away
- compose a poem, song lyrics, ode, limerick about who or what you've lost
- create a collage (of words) that represents your pain, the specifics of your grief
- craft a short story, fiction or nonfiction, that really captures the heart of the grief situation you're facing
- note all the fun, humorous, pleasant memories associated with that, or whom, you grieve
- create a "balm list" that gives you options of things to do that feel soothing, calming, easy
- send an email to somebody asking for support
- like a mantra or blessing, write out your prayers and hopes for forward movement beyond the right now of slippery, sticky grief
- breathe in the natural world's cycles and support; then explore on the page how nature springs anew after the long, dark cold of wintertime
We do not have to wait until the loss, the dreaded grief (whatever it is we have feared) comes knocking on the door in order to begin writing about it. If we can use these practices for the little things in our lives, we'll be better equipped when the waves crash down.
We do not necessarily write our entire loss or grief across the page in a single sitting. We do not have to choose just one form. It may get messy, confusing, change shape, become redundant. In some moments, writing our grief will intensify the emotions; in other moments, we will feel release, like a gushing out. Almost without fail though, the willingness to, and practice of, writing out of our empty spaces - paradoxically - moves us into rich terrain filled with all those blessings of growing wholeness and recovery.
Please consider how TEALarbor stories can support you as you move forward with your writing projects, as you traverse a life transition, or as you face a difficult situation of conflict; I welcome your inquiry via email.
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Workshops & Events
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Workshops 
March 10, 2015 from 6 - 7:30 PM
Second Tuesdays at Napa Bookmine
964 Pearl Street. Fee $25.
Diving into the Stream: Actually Writing
Pre-registration is required. Contact Jennifer.
Please note the change in price and the pre-reg requirement. Due to our offices' relocation, I need at least 24 hours advance notice for all Bookmine workshops.
March 21, 2015 from 9 - 11 AM
Spring Equinox on the Land: Writing for Balance
In Sebastopol. Fee $40.
Regain the balance in your life through writing in natural landscapes.
Do you and a few friends have a specific aspect of writing you'd like to practice or learn, tailored to your unique needs? You're in luck! TEALarbor stories can provide just this in the form of a small group workshop via Skype (or in person where geography allows). Email for details.
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Did You Know?
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Every Wednesday TEALarbor stories' posts an image on the blog. Check out this week's!
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News & Updates
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TEALarbor stories now offers Mediated Conversations Services. Specifically, we offer conflict support/coaching (a one-on-one process with individuals facing difficult life stories/situations) and facilitated conversations (compassionate support to foster communication between parties facing conflicts). Certificated mediators await your call.
Why not put compassion at the center of your life?  Start by checking out my partner page and the main Charter for Compassion site.
Did you know you that past Second Tuesday Writing Workshops are available as a one-on-one option at a time convenient for you? Enjoy the writing, poems, insights and activities from the comfort and privacy of your home, via Skype. Email for details.
Check TEALarbor stories' blog for new posts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
In the News
On March 14, 2015 at CSU East Bay, I will present at the Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California's (ADRNC) Annual Conference. I'm offering an interactive writing workshop entitled, "Stories of Conflict: Writing for Insight as a Tool for Mediating." Check out the conference line-up.
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 Like TEALarbor stories
 Follow @TEALarbor  Connect
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