LIFE | LOVE | LOSS“You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.” Irish Proverb Thank you for making time to read our THMF Newsletter. The intention of all the hands, minds and hearts that touch the Taylor Hagen Memorial Foundation is for the words, thoughts and resources shared here to bring you insight, perspective, peace and joy in all that you face. CONNECTIONFor years I have been drawn to Ireland. I have enjoyed pictures of the lush countryside with every shade of green. I have read many romance novels of Irish passion and loyalty. I have watched shows detailing Irish history rich in love and loss. I took one of those home DNA tests which indicated I had 23% Irish/Scottish ancestry. Hmm, maybe there is something to the draw I feel to this native land and its people. One thread in many things I have read and watched is their connection to each other and to the land itself. With all the technology we now have available in our hands as humans we are more connected than we have ever been. We can see and hear what is happening around the globe by watching the news, we can access social media and witness events in the lives of people we may not otherwise see for years. We have connection in spades! However, are we really connecting? My grandma used to always say that the worst form of punishment in prison is solitary confinement. She would say we NEED human connection. I couldn’t agree more. So, I encourage you to put down the phone while you eat a meal. Think about the food, where it came from, whose hands touched it. Talk to the people with you at the table. If your eating alone look at those around you. Make up stories about who they are and what there are up too! I invite you all to create windows of time where you take a digital detox turning off all screens and connecting. It could a deeper connection with yourself. Doing simple breath work in silence can be very balancing. Connect with those you share space with. Ask what their favorite things are. If you are in a relationship, ask the person how you can love them more. You might be surprised by the answer and the simple ways you are able to deepen your connection. Have a candle night! My son Joey and I use to do this. We would turn off all the lights and just have candles on. We often talked and listened to music! It’s a fun simple way to change up the day to day and connect on a different level. I know that when we shift our awareness by paying attention to our surroundings, we can allow deeper and stronger connections to emerge allowing a new alignment to peace in our minds and hearts. CHUTES AND LADDERSHave you played this simple board game? When was the last time you spun the wheel to see if you would climb the ladder or hit a chute? I think so much of life is like this game. We climb metaphorical ladders in our lives. We gain knowledge and insight with new experiences and relationships. We get careers and make more money than we use too. I know as I have gotten older there is a sense of progression that I am moving forward and leaving certain life circumstance behind. Then there is a slide! Then life throughs us a curve ball and we feel like we are sliding down a chute not knowing where we might land. This can happen with a sudden loss of a job, relationship issues, health struggles or the loss of a friendship. It can come in many forms. In the game sometimes you climb and climb getting one of the tallest ladders. You feel as though you are mastering something! Then a chute comes. It might be a small chute where you feel like you didn’t lose that much ground. It might be a long one where it seems like you are starting over. So how do we do this? What do we do when life pushes us down a chute when all we wanted to do was climb? How many times have you said or heard someone say, “I don’t want this?” Well, there is not one set answer to that question. I know when my son Joey took his life, I felt like I was going down the longest chute of my life. It was a chute full of pain, confusion, unanswerable questions. I cried, I laughed, I yelled, I sat in silence wondering what now. No matter what life throws at us we can always take a minute to catch our breath. Re-group and reevaluate where we are. I think when we take some time to do this, we are then better able to clearly chose where it is we want to go. Do we start a new climb? Do we stay sideways for a time? Perhaps we decide to change the game all together! No matter where you are in your life, in your journey of love or loss I invite you to take a deep breath. Create some quiet time for your mind and heart to be still. In this stillness I invite you to listen for the whispers of what your soul longs for! If you do all this and are still at a loss of what steps to take or where to go next, then just do something. I have told my children sometimes you just have to move, just have to pick something and do it as only in the activity of living will you then know if its something you want to keep doing or if its time for a change. I wish you everything good. All my best, Genna EVENTSBereaved Mother’s Retreat’s Bereaved Mother’s Retreat’s sponsored by Cristie North of Taylor Hagen Memorial Foundation and Leigh Anne Garcia of Andrew Garcia Memorial Foundation. 2020 Dates February 28-March 1, 2020 May 1-3, 2020 Fall 2020 TBD Visit www.thmemorialfoundation.org or email [email protected] UTAH VISION DAYRAISING AWARENESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH & SUICIDE PREVENTION This is the main fundraiser for the Taylor Hagen Memorial Foundation to fund programs and retreats all year. Saturday August 1st 2020 Ride Starts at the Sandy Harley Davidson Location. 4th Annual Andrew Garcia Memorial Match Friday, June 26 6-9 pm at Skyline High School. UTAH COUNTY RESIDENTSAnyone in the Utah County area that would be interested in partnering/facilitate with Dawn Christensen. It is with Compassionate Friends. They meet last Thursday of the month at 7PM. She is looking for help. Santaquin TCF of Utah County 364 N state Road 198 Santaquin, UT Dawn – 801-471-7011 [email protected] LOTUSYou are invited to join LOTUS for our Psychic Fair first Saturday of every Month Multiple Reader/Healers at Lotus doing mini sessions at $15 LOTUS 12896 S Pony Express Rd Ste 200 Draper, UT 84020 SUPPORTCaring Connections
SLC, Midvale & Orem www.nursing.utah.edu/caring-connections 801-585-9522 What’s Your Grief? A website about grief & loss & ways to cope. www.whatsyourgrief.com The Sharing Place Support for families and children 3 ½ and up. www.thesharingplace.org 801-466-6730 Canary Garden Helping children in their grief process. www.canarygarden.org 801-960-2684 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention www.afsp.org 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Crisis Text Line Text TALK to 741741 SafeUT Crisis & Chat App The SafeUT Crisis Chat and Tip Line is a statewide service that provides real-time crisis intervention to youth through live chat and a confidential tip program – right from your smartphone. Licensed clinicians in our 24/7 CrisisLine call center respond to all incoming chats and calls by providing: supportive or crisis counseling, suicide prevention, and referral services.
1 Comment
|
Blogs Managed ByErika North-Rickard Archives
April 2020
Categories |