Play Stops

I've created and facilitated two events for the Manor's independent residents: Legacy in Story and  Listening to Soul. This offering contains, for me, much more than just an activities to interest folks. For me the offering is a means of connecting parts of myself into a greater whole. I've been creating and facilitating workshops and retreats throughout much of my professional life. It's been part of my passion and my creativity. I like the entire process of inviting people to consider an opportunity, making that opportunity sound enticing, interesting, worthwhile; creating the opportunity such that those who choose it will experience something new, will be challenged, will take away something unexpected; leading those who come through what I've created, adapting along the way to intuition, circumstances, and challenges; and finally, reflecting on the process so as to grow myself and become more able to do better next time.

As I have ventured along this unexpected path of discernment, ministry, and adventure, I've been sorting through my "belongings", seeing what needs discarding, what needs updating, what needs adding. My wealth of knowledge and experience that I bring to creating learning experiences for individuals and groups is not something to discard. Certainly updating is always appropriate, and adding new elements and content is also desirable. In co-designing this field placement, I readily offered to create a couple of events and my offer was welcomed. So I looked into my tool bag and pulled out a few things I thought might work. Work they did!

Legacy in Story gave participants an opportunity to playfully reflect on their life histories through "windows" of time perspective. Listening to Soul gave others space and time and inspiration to playfully reflect an inner picture of self. Both these workshops or "playshops" gave me an opportunity to connect my past with my present and imagine my future. "Soul" work has long been my passion. Play is the soul's delight. Ministry can be, I believe, nurturing in many ways including playful ways--and not just with children and youth. I've long worked with adults challenging them to reconnect with their playful selves for healing, growth, and transformation. Play sometimes sets us free when nothing else has--free to complete processes of grief, of forgiveness, of resolution and reconciliation.

In Sandplay Therapy, a fundamental key is providing a "free and protected space" for the soul to play, the mind to work, the hands to express, the heart to mend. I will bring this key into my ministry whatever I may do come tomorrow.

These workshops gave me an opportunity to reweave some dangling fragments into my own soul's home. All that I am and all that I do and all that may come are part of God's plan, God's purpose, God's loving gift.

The soul passes through the body like sap in a tree; we are watered by a Divine Breath, we blossom, grow strong. The soul sustains the body and the body sustains the soul. Hildegard of Bingen