| Previous Message | Return to Archive 2002 | Next Message |
Archive Number 1045 | ||
|
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 14:28:42 -0500
BZ- I was fascinated by your post about the request for memorial stories. First of all, I too have felt strengthened and renewed by the responses sent in to Jena. I have ound this very timely as I head into my first attempt at facilitating a bereavement group with the focus clearly on the healing power of story. I am excited, but nervous to be doing this work. It comes out of deep bereavement work of my own plus working with women with cancer and chronic illness, but this will be different. And so these poems and stories have been very helpful to prepare. I am fascinated by the fact that although my husband died over 17 years ago, the preparation work for this group has led me into some more bereavement work of my own. I know full well that it never ends, but it is interesting to see it come up so clearly at this moment. I also loved hearing of your personal growth group and working on death preparation and the flip side of finding strength and tools for living in that focus. It reinforces for me the yin and yang, black and white, light and shadow- never one without the other, neither one whole without the other. I agree with you about changing traditional stories. I think it is imperative that we honor the sources from which the stories come, that we try to understand that culture as much as we can and that we inform our audience of that. But if the intention is with great integrity to comfort and give insight, then I think it is okay to change a story to fit a moment. I am thinking that is how folktales evolved anyway. Otherwise why would there be umpteen million different viersions of Cinderella? It's good to be back on this listserv. Fran Yardley | ||