Disappointments in love, even betrayals and losses, serve the soul at the very moment they seem in life to be tragedies. The soul is partly in time and partly in eternity. We might remember the part that resides in eternity when we feel despair over the part that is in life. ~Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul
This retreat will explore the nature of the spiritual journey that has brought you to this place of wilderness. You will learn more about the shape and terrain of the wilderness in which you now find your soul. We will participate in prayerful reflections on what direction and steps you may now take in your life during this grieving process.
Our time together will include personal spiritual exercises and journaling, as well as group teaching and opportunities for soulful discussion. The retreat will include lunch. Guided by Rev. Dr. Ken Patrick.
Rev. Dr. Ken Patrick has had a lifelong interest in the teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism, as well as the contemplative tradition of the Christian faith. His graduate education includes a Master of Divinity Degree and Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C. He has also done doctoral level studies in theology and spirituality at New College, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Ken is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church. Ken is a graduate of the U.S. Army Chaplain School, and the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. He has hiked the Appalachian Trail 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine to help open a shelter for the homeless.
Ken is the author of Mountain Meditations, My Walk with Christ on the Appalachian Trail, and Journeying to the End of Life: Discovering the Ancient Hospice Way of Companioning the Dying.
Ken has served as a hospice chaplain for the past 14 years at Blue Ridge Hospice in Winchester, Virginia, and has led workshops and seminars on being a compassionate spiritual companion on the journey to the end of life. He currently also serves as a rural parish minister.