Health & Wellness Article - December 2011Honoring transitions
“Honor the past. Accept the present. Move more easily into the future.”
Our lives are filled with rituals—both formal and informal—that often have roots in holiday traditions. These may include gatherings with family and friends, special events, and seasons we have celebrated over the years. They can be as simple as carving the turkey in a specific way and preparing the dishes we feature in our holiday menus or as complex as tracking down family ancestors and honoring them in oral and written customs.
Barbara Myerhoff writes in Remembered Lives: The Work of Ritual, Storytelling, and Growing Older that there is a dearth of ritual in the last third of life. “Retirements and funerals may be the only significant markers for many,” she states. As we age, our resources and settings change, and she feels we lose a great deal in not replacing our traditional rituals with new ways to celebrate and commemorate life changes.
Touchmark strives to support and honor both community and individual traditions. Residents, families, and team members look forward to sharing birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, and other celebrations with their “family of choice.” In addition to these “life lights,” we offer a host of other Full Life® classes and offerings that provide new traditions and celebrations for participants. These include harvest festivals, intergenerational events, quilt shows, theatre and talent show performances, and legacy interviews/life story writing classes. Support groups for caregivers and family members are also available to provide guidance during life transitions.
As the holiday season approaches, we invite you to create and share the benefits that rituals provide: bringing order and clarity in times of change, relief and comfort in times of anxiety and stress, integration and healing in times of loss, and continuity and community in times of celebration and reflection.
© 2008 Touchmark