Bereavement Team Leads New Retreat
The Serenity Bereavement Team is celebrating the success of our first-ever, Hope & Healing Retreat. This initial endeavor was planned for grieving moms. Five women attended, each from a different community. Each mom received a gift bag of small trinkets, as well as a Serenity prayer shawl. Time was spent doing yoga, meditation, hiking, creating take-home lanterns, painting rocks, and sharing our stories.
The retreat was held overnight, April 20 & 21, at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center (LOMC). One of our attendees shared, “This weekend was a beautiful, comforting, fun time with 6 women who support and understand this life I now live. Thankful and blessed.” Dana, Serenity’s Bereavement Manager, shares that the blessing may have been even greater for the Bereavement Team, “We laughed as much as we cried. We built community. We supported each other. We rested, reenergized, and were reminded of the hope that we find when we spend time with others who have had to learn to live after this greatest loss. What a blessing this weekend and this amazing group of women is! We cannot wait to do it again!”
The Serenity Shed Is Open For Support
The Serenity Shed has experienced an uptick in interest in the first quarter of 2024. As this was being written, a widow is beginning work on a chair in the shop. Her husband died just over a year ago. After seeing a Facebook post about The Serenity Shed and sharing it with her sister, who was visiting from Chicago, the two came in to “see what this place is all about.” Sharing about the death of her husband, the woman said she is looking for an opportunity to meet with others and if she can utilize some of her crafting abilities at the same time, that would be all the better. She arrived this morning and is busy working on a chair she chose to paint. She has already expressed her gratitude for The Shed and the community and the activities available here for those who need a place, a person, or something to do. She has given back by donating several diamond art kits, which we will offer to others. The Serenity Bereavement Team is thankful for the opportunity to be present for our communities in such a meaningful way.
