- “Tradition is not just what we inherit from the past; it is also what we create and pass on to the future.”
- –Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings
Words That Endure® Topics
Edna C. Groves, M.S., offers keynote speeches, brief programs, and longer workshops on the following topics:
Writing Your Personal History: Exploring Your Life and Legacy
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Aging to Sage-ing®: Claiming and Celebrating the Wisdom of Your Years
Adding years lets us become old. We have limited or no choice about adding years. Adding wisdom while adding years lets us become elders of the tribe. We have full choice about adding wisdom. We add wisdom—becoming elders, or sages—by electing to mine the experiences life has given us. In consciously choosing to do the inner work of reflection, review, repair, and forgiveness, we live in the long view of our lives, gaining new understandings, celebrating our triumphs, and thus opening the door to wisdom.
Exploring this theme in a talk, class, or interactive workshop we will utilize material from From AGE-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller.
Edna will invite you to explore the process, practices, and promise of being a wise elder.
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The Quest and The Hearth: The Journey of The Female Hero
The search to live an authentic life requires self-awareness, initiative, self-nurturance, and a resilient heart able to grow in trust and risk-taking. The search summons us to leave a familiar and known life in favor of new possibilities. The search also demands that we manage ourselves through confusion, fear, and doubt as we honor the beckoning that brings change. The invitation to move on and expand ourselves is both the core and the beginning of the female hero's journey.
Exploring this intriguing theme with Edna will take us to the nature and manifestations of the Outer Quest and Inner Hearth, the benefits of risk-taking, and the skills for doing so.
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The Late-Life Twins: Forgiveness and Gratitude
The pain of unfinished business exists in most relationships. It is born of disappointment, hurt, and anger. The act of making peace with the past frees us to live in the present. We forgive for our own sake: to free ourselves. We strive for gratitude for our own sake: to celebrate the life we have.
In exploring this complex theme with Edna we examine the difficulties and benefits of forgiving, and the rewards of gratitude.
Recalling and recording our stories helps us review and make new meaning of our lives. A personal history as a manuscript or book (words that endure) gives the next and later generations an understanding of who they come from. Our stories may be healing to our son and daughter, give hope to a grandchild, offer new information to any family member, and change our relationships for the better with those we love.
Let Edna help you turn the journey of your life into a gift for future generations.
Contact Edna by e-mail or at 630-204-1650 to find out more.