SESSION 22 – ENDINGS, NOVEMBER, 2009

ADAPTED FROM HEART TO HEART BY C. ROBINSON AND A. HAWKINS

Chalice:   

Gather the stars if you wish it so.

Gather the songs and keep them.

Gather the faces of women.

Gather for keeping years and years.

And then…

Loosen your hands, let go and say good-bye.

Let the stars and songs go.

Let the faces and years go.

Loosen your hands and say good-bye.

Carl Sandburg

Check-in:

Reading:  “An artful ending to a relationship, like the resolving chords of a symphony, often defines what has gone before.  Endings are a good chance to shape the meaning of our lives.  What makes for an artful ending?  Ideally, it includes four components:  disengagement, memory, resolution, and blessing.”

C. Robinson and A. Hawkins

Quotes from the Common Bowl:  See attached

Life Questions:

1.  What are your thoughts about the 4 components of endings mentioned in the reading above?  Disengagement, memory, resolution and blessing?

2.  Think about a “good” goodbye in your lifetime.  What was it like?  How was it satisfying?  

3.  If we don’t handle our goodbyes with intention and thoughtfulness what are the consequences (if any) that we deal with later in life?

4.  Do you think we can prepare for final goodbyes in our life?  How would you do that?

Closing ritual:

 May you always be blessed with walls for the wind,

A roof for the rain,

A warm cup of tea by the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all that your heart might desire.

Irish Blessing

Check-out:

QUOTATIONS FOR SESSION 22 – ENDINGS, NOVEMBER, 2009

A hard beginning maketh a good ending.

John Heywood

It’s weird..you know the end of something great is coming, but you want to hold on, just for one more second….just so it can hurt a little more.

If you want a happy ending that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.

Orson Welles

In the end we are all separate:  our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge.  We are drawn to each other because of our similarities, but it is our differences we must learn to respect.

What is born will die, what has been gathered will be dispersed.

Sogyal Rinpoche

All endings, in a way, remind us of the finality of our own.

Steven Winn

Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one.

Oscar Wilde

This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.