Celebrating our people
honouring the people I'm lucky enough to be in community with
Today’s one of those days when I have a lot to say and little to say, all at the same time. My head and heart are full, and yet the words are slow to surface. I’ve started writing a couple of ideas down, but nothing is sufficiently processed for a post, so I’ll just share a few things that are on my heart…
Mostly, I want to celebrate the people I’m in community with.
First, our graduates…
For starters, this week, we’re celebrating five new people who’ve completed the requirements to become Certified Holding Space Practitioners! Even with a small group, we had to juggle time zones in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands and North America. Some had to be awake in the wee hours of the morning, while others stayed up late. They never complained, though - each showed up willingly and faithfully, week after week for nine months.
I know I’m biased, but we get the BEST PEOPLE in our programs! In the past two weeks, we’ve spent a lot of time together, first in one-on-one sessions as we reviewed their completed practicums, and then in a four-day online retreat where each of them delivered a mini-workshop for the group. During the retreat (thanks to their special offerings), we explored what it means to have a heart at peace, we walked a virtual triple-spiral labyrinth, we contemplated the seasons of our lives, we reflected on our unique callings, and we talked about getting lost in liminality.
These are thoughtful, committed people with a lot of integrity and love for their communities and the world. I look forward to the beautiful things that will grow out of what they learned during their time with us.
Congratulations to Trish, Helena, Sue, George and Juergen!
Second, our teaching team…
It is with the deepest gratitude that I celebrate the amazing teaching team we have at the Centre for Holding Space…
Did I mention that we attract the BEST PEOPLE?! Let me just reiterate that, because this group of people consistently goes above and beyond in everything they do for the Centre for Holding Space. Not only do they teach and host our programs with love, integrity, passion, commitment and humility, but they show up for each other again and again, even though they’re living in different countries and most have never met each other in-person (a fact that we CAN’T WAIT to rectify when we gather for our Alumni Gathering in September).
Krista and I are humbled by the ways they support us and our work, always going several miles beyond what we can afford to pay them. We’ve had some rough spots in the last couple of years, and this group of people stood by us consistently and without hesitation.
Whatever programs you show up for - know that you will be beautifully held by Emily, Mary, Lucy, Ivan, and SJ (as well as Krista and myself).
Third, my mentor and friend…
On a slightly different note, but still related, I want to celebrate my mentor and friend, Christina Baldwin. The early seeds of my work started to grow under the mentorship of Christina and her partner Ann, back when I was learning about The Circle Way and contributing to the development of The Circle Way network (after Christina and Ann passed it on to their successors). Beyond the circle, I also had the privilege of honing my writing skills at Christina’s Self as Source writing retreat on Whidbey Island, back when a published book was little more than a fantasy.
Christina recently published a novel called The Beekeeper’s Question. A couple of Saturdays ago, I read it from cover to cover.
It’s been awhile since I’ve spent a day reading an entire book (a task made more challenging by the fact that I now need to close one eye in order to focus), but I couldn’t put this book down. I remember early conversations about the book, several years ago when it was still a seedling of an idea, and I am blown away by what Christina has accomplished with it. It’s the kind of book that will stay with me for a long time, not just because it’s a captivating story, but because it invites the reader to ask their own important questions.
Christina grew up around bees and her passion for them shines from the pages of this book. On one layer, it’s a story about bees and the people who are in relationship with them. On another layer, it’s a story about a family trying to hold their people close in a time of war. On a third layer, it’s a story about settlers trying to grapple with the harm done by colonization.
In other words, it’s nuanced, complex, intriguing, and thoughtful. I highly recommend it!
Congratulations Christina, on the completion of this years-long passion project!
Fourth, my friend…
This week, my beloved friend Saleha Alshehri flew to the island to attend her graduation from a graduate certificate program she completed virtually, and I was lucky enough to be there to celebrate with her. Saleha is a therapist who’s a life-long learner, always seeking greater and greater depth in the ways she supports people’s healing journeys.
I can’t even begin to tell you the many ways that Saleha has blessed my life. If you’ve read my second book, or attended the book launch for it in Winnipeg, you’ll know a little about her and the special place she holds in my life. This week, we spent three beautiful days together, in nearly constant conversation as we walked by the lake, sat in restaurants and coffee shops, and drove around the island. As we’ve done many times in the past, we laid our personal stories at each other’s feet and then unraveled the bits that most needed tending. It was glorious.
Congratulations Saleha and may we have never run out of things to talk about!
Fifth, my business partner…
Five years ago,
said “I do” to my proposal to become business partners and work-wives. Little did she know just what she was saying yes to! It was the early days of the pandemic, and though the world was feeling a little shaky, we were full of hopes and dreams for what we were about to build together.Lots of those hopes and dreams have come true, though perhaps in quieter ways than we imagined (scroll up in this post to see glimpses of some of them), but… whew! Very little of it has been easy! We set out in a fresh little boat called the Centre for Holding Space, and it wasn’t long before we hit some very rocky water. We were tested in far more ways than we could have imagined, and yet… you know what? Our commitment to this work and each other only grew stronger.
Thankfully, this year, the waves started to settle and we found ourselves in more calm water (due in part to the strong team that came alongside us). Now we’re growing some beautiful new things, like Leadership for Liminal Spaces, and we’re excited about working with a few organizations who are inviting us in to offer guidance to their community leaders.
Thank you, Krista, for sticking by me through all of this, and for never wavering in your belief that we’re doing the right work!
I'm so glad I found you, Heather, and your beautiful work wife, Krista, and what you have created together in the Centre for Holding Space.
And I'm so very grateful for having been companioned these past two years, by Mary and Ivan in the Foundation Program, and Lucy and Emily in the Practitioner Certification Program.
The growth and transformation that has occurred during this time is profound in these, my autumn years.
Thank you for midwiving the birthing of holding space in those who have taken the invitation into the deep dive of your work.
So much gratitude for you and the community you feed and nurture.