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Bosho, Lauren nŤėshnēkas. Ote ke xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) eťtēŤayan. Mshkodani bodéwadmi mine kiikaapoa nŤēbenŤagwïs. My name’s Lauren, and I’m the Spiritual Care Manager and Chaplain for First United.

How’s your spirit today?

Whether you are celebrating a new lunar year with the vibrancy and passion of the fire horse, or spending time in reflection and prayer during Ramadan or Lent, this is the season of breathing deeply and engaging creativity.

We will lift our grief up during this season of Ramadan and Lent. With all of the horrors going on in the world right now, art can be very healing so this year, we will revisit First United’s grief art challenge. Let us explore the complicated feelings and emotions of the cycles of grief.

This is a feelings wheel (click the image and save to download). I made this one. There are many other kinds. Gloria Wilcox is known as being the pioneer of this tool. She made hers as a visual aid that helped folks acknowledge and communicate about their feelings and work towards change.

Using the feelings wheel and watching (or listening) to our grief vlog, I wonder what feelings you feel as you paint. I wonder what you feel when you are faced with the craziness and urgency of problems near you and across the globe. I wonder where you recognize grief.

Art Challenge

Lent is a time of prayer and fasting and a time to explore new spiritual practices. One of the most basic spiritual practices that humanity has is our feelings and emotions.

To help us explore and work through complex emotions that accompany grief, Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, is hosting an art challenge for the Lenten season.

You’re invited to join in this weekly practice as Lauren shares her own painting process and guides us through some “wondering questions” around grief. Feel free to comment your answers to the questions. You can also share your painting on social media with the hashtag #PourOutGrief.

All videos will be posted here. Check back every Wednesday to see the latest one!

Week 1: Grief

Week 2: Denial, Shock, Numbness

Week 3: Pain, Guilt and Shame

Week 5: Isolation, Loneliness and Processing

Week 6: Testing

Week 7: Acceptance