Last Saturday night ten of us gathered at Michael and Antoinette's for a potluck dinner and a Reflection by Skype, with Ethical Culture Leader Lois Kellerman. Lois was Leader of the Queens Society for Ethical Culture and then the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, departing from that position in 1998 to move to California with her husband.
We had some technical glitches as this was our first time using Skype, but while we were able to see Lois "live" for a few minutes, she was able to see us throughout the Reflection. Our topic was "Preserving Relationships in Difficult Times."
Lois had an excellent, illustrated brochure with many suggestions for doing this, but what touched me the most was her description of some of the hardships she has faced and managed to come through, as well as other people's stories. One person described the death of a difficult and demanding relative who became a courageous and graceful voyager into the unknown territory at the end of life.
Others described different situations that caused great stress in their families and relationships, but we were able to hold them together. While Lois's suggestions were not necessarily news to us, it is valuable to re-emphasize them when faced with problems that seem insurmountable. These are the times we need our loved ones and support systems the most, and it's vitally important to hold onto them rather than isolate ourselves and push others away.
Many thanks to Lois for speaking to us, to Michael for handling the technical side on our end, and to Michael and Antoinette both for once again hosting a BHC program this month. Our next event is tonight, a Meditation with Remi, at the home of Bruce, Celeste and Jason.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment