 By Debra Donohue Creating Connection Director Canada West This past weekend we held “What is Enough? Making Space for What Matters” at Samish Island Campground and Retreat Centre. This is the second time we’ve combined the Nurturing Spirit team and the Nurturing Justice team to create a space that can both acknowledge the tough stuff, like making changes and bringing awareness to challenging topics, while offering nurturing practices to help process these topics in a loving and healing way. At this retreat we offer both 2 and 3-night packages for those who can attend longer. And really, who doesn’t want to spend more time at Samish! The Sessions We began the weekend really looking at what nurtures our spirit and questioning what is enough and what is too much for each of us individually. We discussed sustainable practices like composting, recycling, upcycling, and buying better quality product that will last longer so we’ll have less waste. The group shared tips on repairing furniture, appliances, darning socks and using the ‘visible mending’ technique to mend clothing creatively without discarding it. We explored the concept of What is Enough to retire on and what kind of lifestyle could be ‘enough’ for us. Isabelle Hachette from World Accord had just returned from a visit to Nepal, and she shared success stories in the RENEW program. Our discussions included how embracing a new idea often requires a profound change, which can be sparked by either beautiful or tragic experiences. We talked about the Climate Crisis and used the old stories of Stone Soup and Loaves and Fishes to explore sharing in community as a way to use less. Stories are a wonderful way to help us open up to both new ideas and old ones that can still work in for us in today’s world. We delved into systemic racism and acknowledged how one race can never fully understand another’s experience of racism. To balance these intense discussions, we engaged in playful and creative activities such as playing games, writing poetry, sculpting with playdough, and coloring. We ventured into the forest for Forest Bathing and practiced the deep relaxation technique of Yoga Nidra. We also tried simple practices like breathing, rocking, shaking, tapping and sounding to help our nervous system slow down, rest, and relax. Our goal was not to judge what is enough for anyone, but to help each of us explore what is enough for ourselves and recognize what might not be enough for others. My brother, David Donohue did a weekend of service at Samish. He painted, mowed the lawn, pressure washed, chopped wood, helped us with tech, and much more. To find out how you can do a weekend of service at Samish Island during one of our retreats, and at no charge, contact [email protected] Our next Nurturing Spirit retreat is the Nurturing Silence retreat at Samish Island, Washington. The theme is ‘Deepening into Silence’ Go to www.NurturingSpirit.CreatingConnection.ca to reserve your spot. More information will be coming soon.  Nurturing Creativity of the Soul Retreat March 8-10 at Stillwood Retreat Centre, Cultus Lake BC Our special guest facilitator, Lana Cullis, presented us with an extraordinary opportunity: the chance to nurture personal creativity, regardless of whether we consider ourselves inherently creative or not. The rewards of cultivating creativity extend far beyond the artistic realm, encompassing improved health, heightened joy and wellbeing, and even financial abundance. With a pitch as compelling as that, joining Lana for this retreat was an irresistible proposition! The sessions were a delightful blend of fun and diversity, covering topics such as "Myths, Mysteries, and Misunderstandings," "Childhood Creativity," "What Colour is Your Creative Soul," "Creativity and Money," and "Honouring our Personal Lineage of Creativity," among others.  What made our retreat truly unique was its format. Each topic was explored for 30 minutes, after which we had the opportunity to put our newfound knowledge into practice through journaling or by utilizing the six tables stocked with an array of craft supplies, bringing our creative visions to life.  I highly recommend our suggested reading for this retreat:
Soul Space: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life And Big Magic Registration is open for our upcoming retreat May 31st to June 2nd “What is Enough” follow the link for more details  Welcome to the inaugural edition of Creating Connection Corner, where we aim to keep you connected with upcoming events and much more each month. Discover effortless ways to amplify your voice within your congregation or community. We will furnish links to national and international interfaith events, climate and social justice activities, and walks that you and your community can effortlessly join. Consider initiating a Creating Connection group within your congregation or community, and we'll share inspiring success stories along with step-by-step guidance on commencing with the unwavering support of Creating Connection. Furthermore, delve into valuable tips and tutorials on harnessing the power of social media platforms integral to Creating Connection. Keep an eye out for Creating Connection Corner features in the Weekly Wire, and don't forget to explore our dedicated Creating Connection Corner page on the CWM website. There, you'll find our blog with an archive of all our Creating Connection Corner posts. In this edition, we are excited to guide you through the process of setting up a Meetup account, allowing you to stay informed about our diverse range of events. Our five Meetup pages cover online and in-person activities in Vancouver, Calgary, Chilliwack, and Edmonton, in addition to our Nurturing Spirit Meetup page. Join us on this journey of connection and community-building! How to Create an account on Meetup:
Why do we want to see your name and photo on meetup.com? It helps our hosts to know who is attending, if we know them, and is also very helpful for security purposes. So please add your name and photo to your account if possible.
 In the last quarter of 2023, Troy Roach (my colleague in Canada East) and I, discovered that many people aren’t aware of the things we’re doing in Creating Connection, and some still weren’t aware of the program at all! This came as quite a surprise to Troy and me because we’ve felt like we were screaming our lungs out for the last several years. It was Dar Shepherdson, Bishop of Canada, who suggested we become more ‘Evangelical’ in our sharing with Community of Christ in Canada, so that my friends is Creating Connection’s New Years Resolution. Last year in Canada West, I pulled back from some of the online programing I was doing to focus on in-person activities and work with individual congregations. Most congregations have not seen church attendance return to pre-pandemic levels so we want you to know that Creating Connection is here for you and can offer support with outreach and programming. This is also an excellent way to invite people who haven’t attended church in a while to meaningful but non-churchy events. We use a platform called Meetup.com to advertise to people outside the church and you can have a look through the links below to see what’s happening in some cities in western Canada. You’ll notice the online events are posted on all our Meetup pages. The in-person events will only appear in that city, except for retreats. If your congregation or small group (non-residents) are interested, I would love to do an online presentation about Creating Connection. After that, I would be happy to visit you and do some in-person events in your community so you can see live examples. And finally, I would like to invite you to attend our ‘Nurturing Creativity of the Soul’ retreat at Stillwood Campground near Chilliwack March 8-10. Lana Cullis is our special guest facilitator. The cost is $275 per person which includes accommodations, 6 meals, and all supplies. The early bird rate of $225 is available until January 28th, so please book soon. For more information and to register go to www.NurturingSpirit.CreatingConnection.ca Looking forward to connecting with you soon!
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