Making Meditation for Grief & Gratitude: A Stay@Home Artshop

Like never in my life, I see us grieving together apart as we lose people, hugs, jobs, activities, dreams, even our models of reality.

We are learning to let go, to surrender, to forgive, and to find acceptance for what is. We are sorting through our memories, releasing and forgetting what doesn't serve us, and preserving what we wish to keep. It can feel like a roller coaster: something else we may wonder if we will ever experience again, something else for which we can find gratitude through nostalgia.

We have Mother Nature for reminding us of our delicate vulnerability, and giving us a clearer view of our profound interconnectedness (our "Interbeing" as Thich Nhat Hanh paints it). Meanwhile we've just had one of the most beautiful springs in history. As the skies clear, the flowers bloom, the birds sing, and the coyotes roam the streets, Nature reminds us how quickly everything can change and how easy healing can be.

In this artshop, we will enter a state of making meditation, creating art in memory of what we lose and what we love. By collecting materials that are found in and around our homes, we will engage in art and rituals that celebrate staying at home. We will breathe into our senses for inspiration and honor the waves of emotion, especially the grief and gratitude, that we experience on this journey.

All levels are welcome in this interactive, creative living room. Participants will be invited to contribute their works into a global digital art quilt that captures the mood of these transformative times.