September 3, 2021
Dear St.Amant Families,
September always feels like a new year – kids start a new school year, new routines are created after summer holidays and everyone seems excited and newly focused on priorities.
This year along with the anticipated new-year feeling, there are also a lot of feelings of uncertainty and division. Some are feeling nervous about getting back to routines, wondering about safety and some are feeling the friction of opposing viewpoints on masks, vaccination, the pandemic as a whole and even the federal election.
As we slide into the fall, at St.Amant we are putting into good practice our mindfulness training, our compassion and reminding one another to try to be present in the moment. There is so much that is outside of our control and when we can focus on our breath, remember what we’re grateful for and that we are all human with individual lived experiences, it makes it easier to move forward.
Our colleague Sophia Ali, Executive Director from Aulneau Renewal Centre was part of a great article this past weekend on “re-entry anxiety”, which is common right now. If you’re a Winnipeg Free Press subscriber you can read it here. The key for me was this:
“Ali says acknowledging your feelings, focusing on compassion and accepting people with where they are on their journey is key.”
The Compassion Network offers a short, weekly guided meditation from 12:05 – 12:25 on Tuesdays. Everyone is welcome to join by Zoom here.
Whether it’s meditation, prayer or exercise, that helps you relax, I hope you have a relaxing and positive weekend.
John Leggat
President & CEO
