No. 40 Aging

Facilitator______________
Date___________________

Group Session Plan from FUSN (developed by Nancy Wrenn)

Chalice/Candle Lighting

Opening Words:

Here a pivot, there a wheel, now a pinion, next a spring will give way.
I steer my bark with hope in the head, leaving fear astern.
Thomas Jefferson

Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Langston Hughes

I am being driven forward into an unknown land. The pass grows steeper, the air colder and sharper. A wind from my unknown goal stirs the strings of expectation. Still the question – shall I ever get there? – there where life resounds. A clear pure note in the silence.
Dag Hammarskjold

Check-in/Sharing

Topic/Activity:
As we, or those we love, face the close of life and the diminishment of both body and capacity, how can we approach aging with revised goals and expectations of ourselves and others? How do we accept ourselves, our aging parents, or our aging friends with loving patience? How do we respect the “inherent worth and dignity” of those struggling with aging? How much does the fear of our own death, or the loss of a loved one, affect our acceptance of the aging process.

Select the topic and location for the next meeting

Check-out / Likes and Wishes

Closing Words:

Grant me acceptance of disappointment in my failing faculties.
Grant me courage to try new coping strategies.
Grant me patience with aging complainer.
Grant me good listening skills and a sense of humor.
Help me simplify my life so that I may not leave a burden for others.
Let me be a model for those younger who follow.
Help me to celebrate me!