STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Flourish Foundation is holding a Grief Vigil on Sunday.
The 5 Gates Grief Vigil will be taught from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Flourish Foundation office at 1030 Airport Way in Hailey.
Facilitators Becquel Smith, Stephanie Hatzenbuehler and Paige and Ryan Redman are basing it on the practices and work of psychotherapist Francis Weller’s book “The Wild Edge of Sorrow.”
The book shows readers how to enter the sacred ground of grief, learn how sorrow shakes us and breaks us open to depths of soul we cannot imagine. It teaches readers to welcome each grief with care and attention, opening one up to new feelings.
Participants are encouraged to bring journal and pen; any item they’d like to put on the grief altar, such as letters and pictures (they may be taken home at the end of the evening), and any item that helps the holder deal with big emotions, such as a sacred item or favorite book.
A $20 donation is encouraged, but no one will be turned away due to inability to pay. Participants need to RSVP to becquel.smith@gmail.com.