The Creative Oasis
Tonight I was working online with a fabulous group of inspirational, brave, creative, willing and responsive celebrants from the The Celebrant School, Te Wänanga Korowai Aroha in New Zealand.
Kathrine from The Celebrant School organised three sessions that I facilitated online called the Creative Oasis—writing practices for celebrants. The participants shared notes, stories, first drafts and they all spoke to my heart about what it is to share resources and learning and to step outside of our usual way of being.
These are just some of the love messages from participants that Kathrine received after the last session.
- Wendy was a really incredible facilitator! Warm, welcoming, so inspiring! I enjoyed the content and how with the three sessions it covered an opening and a closing.
- I would thoroughly recommend the course and would attend again… I am thrilled to have come across this course!
- Thank you so much for a fantastic oasis.
- Thank Wendy please for her authentic sharing, honesty and integrity. Her expertise and thoughtful. calm centred way of being is inspiring. Thanks Celebrant School team 🙂
- Thank you for this opportunity to learn more.
- Absolutely loved Wendy, such a perfect presence and held my attention even in tired moments.
New Zealand celebrant in training, Jin Govind, sent in her work by email to me from the April session. One of the practices was to create an introduction for a ceremony. This was Jin’s contribution based upon a remembrance service she will be conducting for a friend.
Music: I Have a Dream—Abba
Welcome and introduce myself as the celebrant.
Introduction.
Suzy was very fond of red roses, like the ones we see here adorning her casket. She planted and tended her roses with great care in her garden, enjoying their beauty and their rich, red colour, their form and texture— flowers warmed her heart and lifted her spirit. Flowers of all kinds, reminded Suzy of her mother, Jane, who also grew and lovingly tended bright and pastel coloured flowers in the garden.
Just as in the song “I have a dream” by Abba, Suzy too had a dream—to see the good in everything. This helped Suzy to be present with what life brought her way and helped her to copy with the reality that she faced. Despite her health challenges over the last decade, Suzy found comfort and guidance from reading Buddhist teachings and from her own inner strength that she cultivated, with the same tenderness and loving kindness she gave her roses. Let us begin our celebration of her life—
Sound of the Buddhist Bowl ringing.
Thank you Jin for sharing your writing with us.
Would you like me to facilitate a Creative Writing program for Celebrants? If so, please click here.
