The weather was threatening to ruin our first meeting in the garden, so luckily there was a beautiful greenhouse to assemble in safe from the weather. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was grateful to Paula Mako from In Bloom at Calgo Garden for being so accepting of what we needed and flexible to change things around without much notice.
In my head, I knew what I wanted to say and shared my “why” for creating this group. It wasn’t hard because these emotions sat with me and formed the basis of my explanation.
Next up came Debbie Marini, a mental health coach who discussed grief and taught us visualization tools to reconnect in a healthy way with those we lost. Her heartfelt presentation was just what we all needed that night.
Megan Callus, a breathwork coach closed the evening with a moving discussion and more important, breathing tools we can carry with us when we find ourselves in a stressful moment.
At one point, the skies opened up and it rained so hard we were shouting to be heard in the greenhouse, but as soon as the last blessing was said, the sun peeked out and gifted us with a double rainbow to end our evening.
Afterward, I got to meet the incredible guests who came out and felt so thankful that my little gathering opened them up to the healing process we are all navigating through our grief. I was asked when the next one will be and am happy to say there will be two more Circle of Grief gatherings: one in September and one in October:
September 28th, 6 pm– We will be discussing triggers with Lucie Dickenson, author of The Anxious Hippie and owner of StarLight Books followed by a healing crystal bowl meditation with Dr. Kris Sparacino. This event will take place at Coastal Habitat For Humanity located at 1105 Memorial Drive, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
October 19th, 6 pm- Our first workshop will be creating an everlasting floral hoop with Dana from Flowers From the Farm, at In Bloom at Calgo Gardens. There will be light refreshments served prior to the workshop.
Look for more details about our next two gatherings- I can’t wait to see where this journey leads us!
Special thanks to Lydia Santoro for the pictures!