Topic: Walking on Water: Sharing Stories in a Time of Crisis

Facilitator: Naomi Wenger, Coordinator of The Hermitage Community

To attend Community Calls, please Sign Up.

Details: This is unmistakably a time of change for everyone in the world. Think about it, almost without exception all 7 billion people on this planet are, to some degree, aware of and suffering from a single virus strain. In Gabon, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Uruguay, Mauritius, and Djibouti, people are infected and dying from the same disease. I chose those countries, because, though I know they are on different continents, I would be hard pressed to point to them on a world map. They are not part of my daily world awareness—until now. Now, every day I scan down a list of countries of the world where the COVID-19 virus is active and I see the names of places that I otherwise do not hear.

We chafe against the resultant changes in our routines, because it shows us what we knew all along, that we are not in control. Not one of us can control what happens in our day or in the days to come. We may plan, but we do not control when, or if, those plans come to fruition. So, here we are, being reminded every day that we are not in control. And it does not make us feel very good. We feel loss and we grieve. Even if no one we know is sick or dying, we feel the loss of part of our lives. Is “normal” gone forever? Or will “normal” return when this is all over? Will the world be a better place, or will it be much more unpredictable and even dangerous? Will we learn to trust our neighbors or will we distrust them even more?

As a way of entering into a soulful response to this time, we invite you to remember stories of hope and community from your retreat work. Think of a time over the past few years when you have felt most hopeful as a result of a retreat space or program? What made it “click” into that hopeful vibe? How did it bring people and resources together? What kind of culture did it either facilitate or arise from? Ask yourself if that scenario would be a good model for a “new normal” as we emerge from our Corona-virus-lives. What in particular, is encouraging to you, now, as you remember the story. Tells us about the process that prepared you for that experience, the particulars of the program—its people, the location, the season, the created “space” of the event, and so on. In light of the experience, how would you express your gratitude, now? Think of using your imagination, your body, and the “shared space” of a virtual call experience to share that gratitude with the gathered community hearing your story.

We invite stories that are 5-7 minutes long. The stories should be personal, that is, you directly experienced the hopefulness and gratitude you are telling about. If you are willing to share such a story during the Retreat Center Collaboration call on Tuesday, April 21, please contact Naomi Wenger.