Hello, everyone,
Just a brief midsummer note to pass along some important messages and to say that I hope you have been able to enjoy some respite time for rest and re-creation these lovely sunny days. Often, as I re-discovered this week, it's our willingness to look outside the box of our usual activities and schedules that allows us to carve out a little space for ourselves.
This is always a busy time of year for me - writing to do, workshops to advertise, handouts to update, registrations to organize. On top of that, for the past 5 weeks I've been carepartnering an 81 year old friend who had emergency surgery while I was away at the cottage this summer. It's been hectic and I find that I can get so caught up in the organized chaos that I can forget that the sun is shining out there and that I need to take advantage of this beautiful city before the rains come. That thought came to me (once again) in the early hours of yesterday morning and so, when my friend, Sandra, mentioned going to see Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago at the VanCity Theatre last night, I bit the bullet and asked to go along.
What a great decision and what a wonderful evening! Not only was the VIFF-selected film beautifully photographed, written and edited, (and the theme of slowing down didn't hurt either!) but our walk through Granville Island, the ride across False Creek on the Aquabus as the sun was setting, and the further walk up Hornby, down Davie and up Seymour gave us the opportunity to see a broad cross-section of Vancouver's eclectic summer life. The trip back was just as lovely and made more so by our stop at the GI Gelato and Coffee House for a carmel ripple gelato cone to lick as we walked along the seawall and talked. It was such a good choice to make space for feeding my senses and spending time with a good friend, even though I thought I was "too tired"and "too busy". This morning, I feel re-energized and ready to take on the world.
That said, I have some news for you:
1. David Daniels (see my previous post) has done extremely well following his open heart surgery and is already attending Enneagram meetings so thank you so much for all the prayers and positive intentions that helped to carry him and his family through.
2. Unexpectedly, I have had to change venues for my fall workshops and the change has caused an alteration in the workshop scheduling. The great folks at Christ Church Cathedral, in the midst of downtown Vancouver, at Burrard and Georgia Streets, have come to my rescue with the offer of their beautiful Park Room, but scheduling has suffered a little:
a. The October 3rd family caregivers workshop will be moved to the New Year. (Date and venue tba)
b. The Caring On Empty Workshop for Helping Professionals will be held on Saturday November 8 rather than Friday November 7 as previously scheduled.
c. The Introduction to the Enneagram Workshop will still be held on Friday November 28.
I'm very sorry for the inconvenience for any of you who have already made plans around the original dates.
Brochures for the fall workshops will be available by the end of the month. If you wish to be added to the mailing list, please email me your personal email address at caregiverwellness@shaw.ca
