Hospice Care and Advance Care Planning

On March 30 in Hospice Care and Advance Care Planning, Debi Moran, MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW, will give an overview of Hospice and Palliative Care services provided by Four Seasons Compassion for Life, concentrating on the area of Advance Care Planning. Understanding the public’s discomfort with the topic of dying has led to a passion for open discussion of emotions and wishes about end of life issues, and moved the necessary preparation of legal forms beyond simple completion to empowerment and comfort regarding personal choice.

 Debi has been with Four Seasons Compassion for Life for over 14 years and employed in Palliative Care since its inception. Personal experiences with chronic illness in her own family helped her develop a passion for finding ways to support those struggling with independence issues and conflicting health care advice. “My areas of expertise are in advocacy, counseling, and Advance Care Planning, but bringing a new perspective and humor where appropriate is what is most rewarding in my interactions with clients.”

The Balance of Light and Dark: Vernal Equinox

March 16 – The Balance of Light and Dark: Vernal
Equinox

            Dr. Laurel Reinhardt will read a short passage from her latest book,
The Girl Who Kept Her Magic and then invite forum participants to
reflect on how balance (or lack thereof) is expressed in their own lives at
this time. The symbol for the Taoist concept of balance is often called yin-yang.
It represents “how seemingly opposite or contrary forces are interconnected and
interdependent…interacting to form a dynamic system in which the whole is
greater than the parts.” (Wikipedia)

            Note: Forum goers are invited to bring a small symbolic
object representing the balance of light and dark in their lives.

Presenter:
Laurel Reinhardt, Ph.D., describes
herself as a recovering psychologist turned life/dream/joy coach, author and
fiber artist. Raised in a Christian Science/Congregational household, she spent
15 years celebrating the turning seasons with a pagan women’s group, and now considers
herself a Sufi/Taoist. See her website for more information - www.innerlandscaping.com.

Is There Room for Mystery in Your Life?

Remember to set your clocks AHEAD Saturday night

 and be ready at 9:15 for Is There Room for Mystery in Your Life?, a conversation with Larry Anderson with a glance at the writings of mystics from Thomas Aquinas to Thomas Berry.

            Larry, a longtime member of this First Congregational Church, is a retired psychologist and former minister. He has often been a leading light in these forums and is involved in coordinating the Walter E. Ashley Memorial Lecture Series. He is also known for sharing his guitar talents before and during our Sunday services.

“Mardi Gras Fun and Lenten Lore”

This Sunday, March 2’s “Mardi Gras Fun and Lenten Lore,” will be a special celebration of “Fat Tuesday”, Mardi Gras, as we prepare for the beginning of Lent on Wednesday. 

Presenter Romella Hart-O’Keefe will suggest taking on the 40 days of Lent in a new way – anticipating the earth’s energy and our energy changing as we flow through the six weeks to Easter. Romella serves as a coordinator of these forum presentations. She is a teacher of dowsing, EFT, and Reiki as well as a water aerobics instructor. An ordained minister, she has served, along with her husband, Ed, as co-interim ministers at a Unity church in Buffalo, NY. 

“Food and Faith: What are the Connections?”

This Sunday, February 23 at 9:15, our own Melissa Malum, registered nurse and certified diabetes and health care educator, will present “Food and Faith: What are the Connections?”  This session will follow up the speaker from Monday’s February Fellowship Supper by facilitating a discussion of the many ways in which our personal and communal choices about food – what we eat, where we get our food, how we prepare it (and dispose of the scraps) – can have a positive impact with regard to preservation of the earth, social justice, and spiritual health. This will be an open discussion with hopes that the participants will develop one or more ideas about how we can become more mindful and involved in these areas as individuals and as a congregation.

“Spiritual/Emotional Tasks in Our Later Years”

Tomorrow, February 16 at 9:15 our own Larry Anderson will lead a discussion of “Spiritual/Emotional Tasks in Our Later Years.” We’ll listen to a short segment of Michael Dowd’s interview with world traveling Franciscan teacher, Richard Rohr, to move our thinking along

” The Flag of Humanity,”

This Sunday, February 9, Bruce Benson will be speaking about, and showing,” The Flag of Humanity,” and detailing the evolution of the concept and the flag itself. He believes it’s about time we had a flag, or symbol, that celebrates the commonality of being human. Bruce Benson is a Canadian columnist for the Hendersonville Times-News. He lives in Hendersonville when he is not employed as a commercial fisherman. He is also the author of a recent book about the 40 days in 2009 he spent in Giza, Egypt, picking up trash near the great pyramids.  He will gladly answer any questions about the new flag, or about the wide range of topics he has written about in his column.