Dru Roessle, of Danville, Vermont, brings deep insight to the WholeHeart board of directors and beyond. She works as a facilitator of groups and teams problem-solving some of society’s most intractable problems. Dru centers relational justice in the spaces she engages in, believing that we already have what we need to create just systems that are designed for care, reciprocity, and collective well-being. Enjoy this provocative, inspiring interview!
On the eve of a full moon, WholeHeart launched its newest program series, Poetry As Portal, featuring Julie Cadwallader Staub, a poet from South Burlington, Vt. More than 40 participants gathered on Zoom, March 25th, to participate in the event, part-poetry reading, part-conversation with the poet, and part-listening exercise for attendees to reflect upon their own lives.
What does it mean to live one’s life like a prayer? Heather Omand, of Huntington, Vt., is pioneering a different human way of being in the world as a Queer person, mother, partner, and caretaker of agricultural lands. Read about their insightful journey. Listen to their prose, “What Queerness Means to Me.”
What does it mean to be in deeper relationship with the land where one lives? Three friends spent last summer wandering in the mountains of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, coming to know the plants/medicines growing on the land, preparing meals with the foods harvested, and learning to navigate the wind and waves off the coast of Maine. This story encapsulates some of their heartfelt insights gained.
Marianne Mullen, of Middlesex, is a Vermont artist who draws inspiration from the complexities of being human. One of her paintings is the featured artwork for this year’s Valentines of Gratitude, WholeHeart’s January-February scholarship fundraiser. Learn more about how this WholeHeart community member uses her art creation as a spiritual practice.
December's Invitation: Living Courage - "a practice for integrating courage & heart into our daily lives"
The super moon kept me awake for nights, inviting me to listen deeply. I am still searching for words, still asking questions. I want conclusions, answers, and happy endings, but that is not what I am finding.
I begin each month sending out an email to everyone who has been a part of one the Circles of Trust I facilitate. I call it Living Courage. It is a practice that calls me to the task of listening and keeping in alignment with WholeHeart’s tag line: “living on the learning edge.” Here is my reflection and experience with the Courage Principle: “An appreciation of paradox enriches our lives and helps us hold greater complexity.”
Each day, the breaking news breaks us. And often not open, but into despair, disbelief and fear. There is much to be done, and mending what is closest to us is a place to begin to re-imagine hope.
This summer, a group of community members gathered on Tuesday mornings in Greensboro, Vermont for a WholeHeart Community Conversation called “Hope Reimagined.”
The word “leadership” can cover some tricky territory, inviting the questions: what makes a leader? Who are leaders? Is there a leadership club that requires certain qualities to belong?
Our Intergenerational Leadership Exchanges welcomes emerging and experienced leaders. We focus on leadership at the human being level, grounded in the belief that we are all we are all leaders of our own lives. Together, across generational perspectives and areas of interest, we make up the essential elements of our communities.
On September 30th, we will hold our third Exchange. Each gathering has a unique focus, inviting people to return each season or to come for the first time. This fall our focus and guide is the land itself at the Green Mountain Monastery.
“I can disagree with your opinion, it turns out, but I can’t disagree with your experience. And once I have a sense of your experience, you and I are in relationship.” Krista Tippett, Becoming Wise
How do we share our experiences and build community? At a time in our country when our differences in belief and opinion are dividing communities and families, many of us are wondering how to move forward and connect. Civil discourse and deep listening seem to be lost skills. Yet, the silver lining of our time may be that the divides are visible and the motivation to build/rebuild community is essential.
In celebration of gifts and gratitudes of the land, the community and the abudance of harvest, 40 people gathered at Jubilee Farm in Huntington for a night of nourishing food and conversation. This Friend & Fundraiser, A Taste of Courage, was inspired by and in support of WholeHeart's work to convene circles of authenticity, courage and wholeheartedness - in retreats, for work teams and in communities. . Running Stone Bakery and Krin's Bakery and local farmers provided the feast and everyone who came shared a part of themselves to make the circle whole. We shared poems and prompts, generous listening and table conversations - stories of generosity, astonishment and connections. In the beauty of the barn, surrounded by sawdust, sweet night air and budding friendships, we listened and collected words that resonated on butcher block paper as we ate together. From these exchanges and those little bits of writing, a community poem was created.
