BY KAREN BOSSICK

A free workshop on grief and healing will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22-23 at Ketchum’s Community Library.

The grief recovery workshop will feature representatives of Loving Spirit, a non-profit organization from Colorado. It is being offered in partnership with the library.

“We consider it a deep honor to do this work as each of us has also had a major loss in our lives and have needed the help of others to lift us up from the abyss,” said Dayle E. Spencer, who spoke at the Sun Valley Wellness Festival in June.

Loving Spirit is a book, a workshop and a movement to change the way we think about, prepare for and respond to grief and loss in our lives, said Spencer.

The workshop is based on two books Spencer wrote following the death of her daughter Allie at age 28 from the flu. Spencer, a lawyer and owner of a wealth advisory firm, developed the workshop using techniques she’d taught clients to learn to manage change.

President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter called her first book—“Loving Allie, Transforming the Journey of Loss”—“an insightful and candid look at the cycles of life and death we must all encounter.”

“Whether currently in grief or not, we highly recommended it for all families,” they added.

The book tells the story of one family’s journey, while providing practical insights for others. The second is “Loving Spirit, Self-help for the Journey of Loss.”

The workshop examines the journey of loss through multi-cultural, psychological, physiological and experiential lenses.

“It is spiritual, but not religious,” said Spencer. “We encourage participants to how to help themselves recover and to remember their innate resilience.”

Loving Spirit has conducted the workshops in eight states following its first in Estes Park, Colo., The Sun Valley event will be the first time it’s been offered in Idaho.

Though free, participants must register at www.lovingspirit.info/workshops.