Next Meeting: September 17!

My apologies to all for the late posting!  Our next meeting will be held this Thursday, September 17, at 6:30pm in the St. Agnes Parish Center's fireplace room.  Please join us!  We look forward to meeting you and traveling on the road toward healing together.

"Here, Hoping"

One of our group members has passed along this incredibly moving blog post.  In it, the author poignantly expresses the way despair and sadness can make us feel alienated from the beauty and goodness of creation.  In such a state, the act of hoping is revealed not as superficial, naive optimism, but rather a painful cry for help.  To trust that we, too, broken and hurt as we are, are part of "God's wonderful works" is the difficult task we all face - especially when we are in the throes of discouragement.

Mental Illness Monsters Explained Through the Eyes of an Artist

For some people, mental illness - depression included - can feel like your mind is being taken over by something beyond your control.  This artist beautifully depicts "mental illness monsters" that hijack our minds and moods.  I hope you enjoy them - and remember, these monsters CAN be beaten!

Article: "Stillness and Silent Prayer," by Debbi Geller

Again courtesy of one of our generous group members, here is a lovely essay on the restorative power of silence and prayer.  Recent research has suggested that the rise of technology has contributed to the rise in depression in contemporary culture.  The irony, of course, is that quite often we use technology to "escape" from our problems - but the escape only makes the problem worse.   Geller reminds us that silence is frightening because it doesn't allow us to hide from our problems - "our fears, insecurities, regrets, remorse, and shame" - but she also reminds us that it is only by confronting these problems in the presence of God that we can overcome them.  Her piece provides tender evidence that, for the sake of our mental and spiritual health, we need to create spaces of silence and peace in order to hear and be transformed by God.  

"Today I Simply Suffer," a prose poem by César Vallejo

One of our group members was kind enough to pass on this gorgeous piece of writing, a poetic reflection on the nature of suffering.  When one is in the midst of suffering, it can be hard to find words to describe one's pain to someone who is not suffering and who wants to know the "why" and "how."  But the mystery of suffering is that often there is no why or how - it simply is.  Vallejo's poem beautifully captures this mystery.  I hope his words bring you a moment of grace.