The Spirituality of Age
By Joyce D. Sohl
On Saturday, December 5 a retreat/workshop will be held in the International Room in Scarritt Hall from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Dr. Carol Orsborn, author and teacher will lead the event. She and co-author Robert L. Weber have just published their book “The Spirituality of Age.” In the forward to the book, Harry R. Moody writes:
Coauthors Bob Weber and Carol Orsborn have summoned us to a leap of faith, a moment of awakening that calls upon us to take responsibility for our lives. Even with good guidance the seeker of help in the aging process still has the responsibility and freedom to choose, to make judgments, to find the path that is distinctively one’s own.
The focus of this retreat will be on the questions that can help each participant find their own path. What is spiritual maturity? What is spiritual awakening? What is freedom? How can we become more fully ourselves? What is the value of aging to society? Of course within these overarching questions are more specific questions that only you can answer. Exercises will be used to provide knowledge, comfort, clarity and inspiration.
An increase of hope in the light of reality is one of the anticipated outcomes of this workshop. “Hope is born and cultivated in the midst of life’s messiness, in which aging plays a leading role. It is not by escaping the harsh realities that hope is birthed; it is by entering deeply into the finitude of our existence with all that implies, including suffering and death.
The cost of the retreat is $50 which includes lunch. Please register on line at www.scarrittbennett.org or by calling Angela Elliott at 615 340-7557. Do it today before the rush of Thanksgiving takes over.
Joyce D. Sohl has been Laywoman-in-Residence since 2009 as a full-time volunteer. She retired as CEO of United Methodist Women in 2004. She is the author of 4 books, a teacher, retreat leader, writer and non-professional musician. Here at the Center her work is in the area of Spirituality & the Arts with such programs as Tuesdays in the Chapel, Vespers & All That Jazz, Poet’s Corner, and quarterly retreats and art exhibits.