Always, there are more questions.
Because the answers, as you are about to discover,
live deep inside the questions.

Janet Conner, 2008

Aging in Community –

Building Community in an Apartment Building by Bernard Baldwin

In urban centres, supportive housing for seniors sometimes consists of high-density, high rise apartment buildings. Typically, some common space is allocated as an architectural recognition of the basic need for people to come together, to socialize, to offer support to one another from time to time – in other words, to become and build a community among neighbours.

The writer was a member of the support staff in one such building under the direction of a not for profit board and the ownership of a Church Congregation.

The Community Cart – building community from the in-side out – was designed as an opportunity for a staff person to meet the residents of the building, talk about information from staff and management, discuss activities in the building and, most importantly, for the residents to meet and get to know their neighbours – other residents on the same floor.    TO READ MORE >> Baldwin-Building Community in an Apartment Building

Ellen’s Comment:

There is no overestimating the potential role of serving tea, gathering for coffee, and sharing supper for forming community.

Book Review

Writing Down Your Soul:
How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within

Janet Conner                 San Francisco: Conari Press, 2008

Janet Conner discovered the process of writing down your soul while undergoing a traumatic divorce process during which she was broke and felt helpless, frightened for her son and her life.

Beginning with Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, she wrote through her despair in morning pages. Writing pages everyday addressed “Dear God”, she eventually found wisdom for each day and new ways to move forward standing out on the page.

She developed the technique personally for years before refining it through numerous workshops. Now, she offers this comprehensive guide for writing to connect deeply with your soul and your God.  With anecdotes and brief citations, she identifies the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of regular journaling practice.

Conner presents the spiritual exercise of journaling in four steps: Show up, Open up, Listen up, and Follow up.  The first two steps are elaborations of regular journaling while the other two steps take the process deeper toward self-understanding, mystery of spirit, and right action consonant with the inner work.   TO READ MORE >> RyanReview-ConnerWritingDownyoursoul.

Writing Exercise – Generosity

Make a list of 10 occasions in which you behaved generously (or not).  Choose one instance to describe in detail, including your feelings.  Try asking yourself questions about the meaning of this experience for yourself and for the other person(s) involved.  After a day or a week, write again about this experience and see if some answers to your initial questions come to mind.

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With this shadow photo, I bid you adieu,

Ellen