Soaring Spirits International

Next Tuesday, September 17th, we will be welcoming Mary Moore Hughes and Rick Melott to the 4th session of our Newly Widowed Virtual Program. Mary (Camp Widow Program Director and Soaring Spirits Virtual Program Manager) and Rick (Soaring Spirits Virtual Program Volunteer Coordinator) will be leading a check-in and topic review!

Log into (or join) Widowed Village to join us next Tuesday! You can learn more and join for free here: https://widowedvillage.org/join/

"Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything" - C.S. Lewis

Today Soaring Spirits honors the widowed people who lost someone on 9/11. We honor you and we honor the dear people you lost. It may be many years since the attacks in New York, but we know grief continues. We are sending you love today and always.

EXCITING NEWS! Soaring Spirits International is starting a Fund Development Committee, and we would love for you to be a part of it!

If you have nonprofit fund development experience (or relevant for profit experience!), experience writing or sourcing grants, sponsorship development expertise, or a willingness to learn any of these – we’d love for you to join an engaged team of volunteers who are excited about enhancing our fund development efforts and ensuring that SSI is prepared to serve an ever growing population of widowed people.

This team will be headed up by SSI Deputy Director, Angeline Thomas, and SSI Research Director, Dr. Carrie West. If you are interested in joining Angeline and Carrie for this work, please email Dr. West at [email protected] for a job description and apply at the link below. Review of applications will begin on September 30, so make sure to apply today!

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7eWgfyX2Xxmp5mZJ-kQ8Kk5kGLwx9etkGsKItzStIwEE6eQ/viewform

"There is light ahead if I stay focused on taking one step at a time." 🌞💛

You may have heard of our Regional Social Groups . . . but how do you find one near you? First, sign up for a free Widowed Village account at the "Widowed Village" link in our bio. You will be approved within 24-72 hours, and then you can follow this tutorial for a step-by-step guide on how to get involved with a Regional Social Group!

Soaring Spirits provides widowed people with the chance to meet socially and to create a local community of widowed friends through our Regional Social Group program. Groups are led by our awesome volunteer facilitators who plan meetings twice a month in their geographical area, and in some cases virtually.

Our Widowed Pen Pal program will match you with another widowed person for one-on-one supportive e-mail correspondence. The Widowed Pen Pal program was designed for those who would rather correspond with one person consistently than join a group forum.

Creating a safe environment of support is a priority for all Soaring Spirits programs. Your request for a pen pal pairing will direct you to the membership page for our Widowed Village program, where we will begin working to connect you with another widowed person with whom you can communicate.

Many lifelong friendships have begun with just one email! Join Widowed Village and request your Widowed Pen Pal here: https://widowedvillage.org/

Your support for Soaring Spirits creates tangible and real change in the lives of widowed people everywhere. Thank you for making this work possible 🧡

"I am sitting in front of my computer crying tears of relief. Until this moment, I truly felt that no one else understands this kind of pain." - Carole, widowed three months

Resource Share! Eluna's Camp Erin Online is hosting a FREE family grief support event, "Remembering Our Roots: Staying Grounded in the Midst of Grief", from 12:00-2:30 pm EDT on Saturday, October 19th.

Register by tomorrow (Monday, September 9th) at https://elunanetwork.org/camp-erin-online/programs/remembering-our-roots-staying-grounded-in-the-midst-of-grief

About this event: "Experiencing grief, especially following the death of someone closest to us, often propels us into a twister of confusion and change. Questions arise: “What’s next for me and my family?” “What is our life going to be like without them?” “Who am I, without them?” We often question our family values, our personal identity, and even our basic understanding of the world. During this event, we will explore and reestablish our sense of self and family. We will come to recognize that – just as the trees learn to weather the storms – we can learn to grow stronger as individuals and together as a family when we are intentional about Remembering Our Roots."

"Sorry For Your Loss" by Donna Ashworth 🌱❤

It's Question Friday! What advice would you give to someone who is earlier in the grieving process than you are?

Please share with us below! Your responses may be used anonymously for research purposes to help us evaluate how best Soaring Spirits can continue to serve the widowed popultation.

Registration for Camp Widow Houston is officially OPEN! 🧡 🚌

This one-day Camp Widow event will be held on March 1st, 2025, at the Young Women's College Preparatory Academy (YWCPA). It will feature workshops, discussions, and resources for all widowed people. We hope to see you in Houston!

You can register today at: https://www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id=24997

Next Tuesday, September 10th, we will be welcoming Teresa Beshwate to the 3rd session of our Newly Widowed Virtual Program. Teresa is a coach, author, and a Camp Widow Presenter. Join us for her presentation on finding the "permission to live".

Log into (or join) Widowed Village to join us next Tuesday! You can learn more and join for free here: https://widowedvillage.org/ /

Such exciting news. Check out Soaring Spirits Canada's online store! http://positiveidentity.com/soaringspirits/

Exciting news for Soaring Spirits Canada! We have an SSC store online now, making it easier than ever to get your hands on exclusive merchandise. You can browse and purchase items before camp, with the option to pick them up at the event or have them shipped directly to your home.

While there will still be a storefront at Camp Widow® Toronto, the online store ensures you can order merchandise and apparel in your size from the comfort of your home. Don’t miss out—visit the online store today and gear up for an unforgettable experience!

http://positiveidentity.com/soaringspirits/

In the depths of grief, it can be hard to envision EVER having hope again. Many of us, at many different points throughout our grieving journey, may feel that we do not have what it takes to survive the loss of our person. But one day at a time, so many of us do. At Soaring Spirits International, we truly believe in, and are continually inspired by, the resilience of widowed people everywhere.

Do you take the time to recognize and honor your own resilience?

We also recognize that most of us did not necessarily WANT to be resilient. We were forced to be in light of horrific and painful circumstances. If you are holding that pain in this moment, we see you whole-heartedly.

"For something that we can not physically see or touch, time rules our lives." - Sherry Holub

In her recent Widow's Voice blog post, Sherry Holub shares about her relationship with time, and how it has shifted throughout the years. Thank you for sharing this relatable and profound experience, Sherry.

Has your conception of time shifted over time? Has grief altered it at all? Please feel free to share your experience below.

Read Sherry's full blog post here: https://widowsvoice.com/post/time-flies/

Recognizing when we need help, and accepting it when it is offered, is a powerful and impactful tool for so many grieving people. The truth is that we all need help sometimes - it is part of being human! But saying "yes" when people offer to help us can be SO hard. For many widowed people, accepting help may not be something we are used to doing. It may take time for us to get used to this practice, and that is okay.

Just in case you needed this reminder today! 🧡

Did you know that you can find resources and discussions about a WIDE range of specific widowed experiences? This may be helpful for you if you are struggling to find people that can relate to your unique experience.

Visit https://widowedvillage.org/ and follow the directions below!

Widowed Village is a free online community for widowed people that offers a variety of support services, resources, and community. Membership is required to access discussions and forums. Widowed Village is a private and secure community, and we verify widowed status to ensure a safe space for members.

Labor Day was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Some use Labor Day to celebrate the end of summer with BBQ's and gatherings of family and friends.

If you are not feeling up to it, it is SO okay to skip the celebration this year or find a way to honor the workers of America in your own way.

"At my first Camp Widow, the thing I kept seeing over and over was people saying 'Omg you saved my life!' and hugging each other. They were pen pals meeting each other for the first time."

Our Widowed Pen Pal Program is a poignant and meaningful source of connection for so many. Thank you Kathie for sharing this beautiful story!

To get involved in the Pen Pal Program, create an account on Widowed Village and click "yes" when asked if you want to have a pen pal!

You can create a free Widowed Village account here: https://widowedvillage.org/

As the holiday season approaches, some widowed people may find travel a helpful way to begin to create new meaningful traditions and associations, while honoring their person in the process. Others may find travel during the holidays more stressful than helpful, and decide to stay put. Both options are perfectly normal. The holidays can make our grief extra tender, and we all need to honor the decisions that feel right to us.

Has travel helped your grief during the holidays?

Our partnership with AmaWaterways is driven by a shared belief in the transformative power of travel to fuel self-discovery following life-altering experiences like widowhood. Learn more about Amawaterways Holiday Savings offers at: https://www.amawaterways.com/holidaytriplesavings

"Know that I speak your name aloud everyday, a combined hello and goodbye, and perhaps a plea for your impossible return" - Edward Lee

Our Share the Road Ride honors the lives of incredible people who died in cycling-related accidents. Created by Soaring Spirits Founder, Michele Neff Hernandez, in honor of her husband Phil who died while cycling, the Share the Road Ride is an example of the power that can be found in carrying your loved one's legacy forward through activities that they loved.

This year our ride will take place on September 28th from 7:30AM - 2:30PM. Register today, and ride along side us! https://www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id=24338

Being a widowed person, and experiencing grief, is often hard ALL year round. But for some people, certain times of year may be harder than others. Maybe a certain season reminds us of some of our favorite memories of our person, or maybe the anniversary of their passing makes a specific season especially challenging. What time of year is the hardest for you?

Did you know that registration for Camp Widow Houston is now open?! 🧡 🚌

You can register today at: https://www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id=24997

This one-day Camp Widow event will be held at the Young Women's College Preparatory Academy (YWCPA) and will feature workshops, discussions, and resources for all widowed people. We hope to see you in Houston!

Join us next Tuesday, September 3rd, at the 2nd session of our Newly Widowed Program for a presentation on The Early Days of Being Widowed by Amy Florian. Amy is a Thanatologist (the scientific study of death and loss) and a Camp Widow Presenter. We are looking forward to having her join us, and we hope to see you there! ❤

Log into (or join) Widowed Village to join us next Tuesday! You can learn more and join for free here: https://widowedvillage.org/ /

Grief takes as long as it takes. Be kind to yourself along the way. ❤

"Today, avoiding the solitude life imposes seems more central to my happiness than it once did" - Gary Ravitz

How has your experience being widowed changed your relationship to solitude?

Thank you to Gary, our Thursday Widow's Voice blog writer, for this thoughtful reflection. You can visit the Widow's Voice blog at the link in our bio.