Dear Compassionate Friend:
Here are some items of interest that you may want to look into further.
1. Sharing Circles
Our Sharing Circles continue on the third Tuesday of every month at The Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, 2730 Carling Avenue (at Richmond) from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The next meetings are on August 19th, September 16th, October 21st and November 18th. There is no need to register in advance, and there are no fees to attend any of our meetings or activities. For driving instructions and a map, please visit our website: http://www.tcfottawa.net.
2. Restorative Yoga
One of our members, Fiona, found restorative yoga to be of great help on her grief journey. She is now a certified Restorative Yoga Teacher and is offering her services to other bereaved parents at no charge. Sessions are conducted in private at your own home and do not require any special equipment or facilities. If you would like to make an appointment, or just more information, please contact Fiona at f_rhodes@hotmail.com (note the underscore) or 613-831-2408.
3. Hospice Retreats
Hospice Care Ottawa is hosting two Care and Share Bereavement Retreats on September 10, 2014 and October 1, 2014, both at the Galilee Retreat Centre in Arnprior. These days are open to anyone grieving the recent death of a loved one who would like a day of sharing, encouraging and nurturing in a supportive environment. For more information or to register, please contact Kristina Voth-Childs, Communications Coordinator at 613.591.6002 ext. 26 or kristina.voth-childs@hospicecareottawa.ca. (FYI: Hospice Ottawa is based at the Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice, which is the former Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kanata where we held our TCF meetings for over 10 years).
4. Butterfly Garden
The rejuvenation project is mostly complete thanks to the persistent efforts of several volunteers. A significant remaining challenge is to dissuade the local groundhogs, rabbits and beetles from devouring the new plants. If you have some time, it is well worth a visit. The official re-opening is being planned for next Spring.
5. Candle Lighting Celebration
The location for our 16th annual Celebration will be Southminster United Church, which is on Bank Street just south of Lansdowne Park and the Bank Street bridge. The event will be held on Sunday December 14th as part of the World-Wide Candle Lighting. Details will be sent out nearer the date and posted on our website.
6. Website / Facebook
A reminder that Chapter news, events, activities and resources may be found on our Chapter website: www.tcfottawa.net. In particular, the books and videos available from our library are listed, and a special page to to remember our children. If you would like your child(ren)’s name and picture to be recorded, please contact our webmaster Mark through the website.
Also, if you have any suggestions for additional information or resources that you would like to see on the website, please contact Mark.
The next time you are on Facebook, please look for and like our page “The Compassionate Friends Ottawa Chapter” to read and /or post messages.
Best wishes,
Andy Bond
The Compassionate Friends, Ottawa Chapter
http://www.tcfottawa.net
Kevin’s Dad
The Compassionate Friends 