Greetings Beloved Friends,

Welcome to November! This morning we woke up to the surprise of snow on the ground in Cleveland. How beautiful is the change of seasons!

As we move into the month of Thanksgiving, one of the things that I am most thankful for is my Belly of the Whale Advisory Board. We met last week to brainstorm about how to celebrate Belly of the Whale's 10th Anniversary next summer. Amazing!! Save the dates below for two fabulous celebrations that I can't wait to share with you!

• A Day of Sacred Silence & Celebration - July 13, 2024 (University Circle UMC, Cleveland, Ohio)



• 3 Day/3 Night Retreat: Praying with Jonah - July 7-10, 2024 (Jesuit Retreat Center, Cleveland, Ohio)

The holiday season that has been creeping up on us for months has now arrived. (Back to school supplies and Christmas trees just really shouldn't be available at the same time, am I right??!!) The holidays are often full of joy and festive celebrations. Yet, there is also a very real heaviness that comes with ongoing feelings of grief and loss in our lives. I am deeply grateful that the incredible Kim Langley has agreed to lead a mini-retreat (December 9) on grief and loss during the holidays as part of our expanding Belly of the Whale online retreat offerings. Check out the details on BALM for BLUE HOLIDAYS below...

I am also preparing to share my book, Mandalas, Candles & Prayer: A Simply Centered Advent, with the women at North East Reintegration Center (a women's prison in Cleveland) again this December. I would like to give each woman who participates a copy of the book for them to keep. If you would be willing to donate $12 toward the purchase of a book, I would be so very grateful. I anticipate needing 30 books total. CLICK HERE to show your solidarity with women in prison and donate any amount you are able toward the purchase of books to share. Thank you so very much for your generosity!

Here's a quick summary of what you'll find in this month's newsletter...

• Balm for Blue Holidays with Kim Langley - December 9, 2023
• Spouting Off Blog: Giving Thanks by Giving Back
• Suggestions for "One Small Thing"
• Prayer for the Season

If you know anyone who you think would find Whale Spouts meaningful, please feel free to forward it along to them. Thank you so much for helping to spread the word!

Praise God from who all blessings flow!

With strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Sharon

Sharon Seyfarth Garner, Founder & Director

Belly of the Whale Ministries

sharon@bellyofthewhaleministries.net

Picture credit - The Belly of the Whale Advisory board indulging me with a pic for the growing #cheeseandrutabaga collection! Joan Nuth, Steve Bailey, Armando Arellano, Vivian Harris and Susi Kowlics (Bruce Hitchcock not pictured)

As the busy holiday season approaches, create sacred space to reflect on both the stark and subtle changes in your life and the world in which we live. This time of year can feel especially challenging

when there is an empty seat at the table.

Join our online gathering as Kim leads us in a gentle exploration of the grief journey through poetry, silence and sharing as we find Balm for Blue Holidays together.

Kim Langley is the author of Send My Roots Rain: A Companion on the Grief Journey, founder of WordSPA (Spirituality, Poetry Appreciation) Ministries and has more than 20 years of experience as a retreat leader, executive trainer and spiritual companion. You will be deeply blessed by her wise and gracious leadership!

Cost is pay-what-you-can so that all can participate. Donations from $1 - $100 (or more!) are welcome!

SPOUTING OFF BLOG

Giving Thanks by Giving Back

Thanksgiving is one of those rare holidays that has not been over-commercialized by the relentless pressure to purchase our way into each other’s hearts - and I give thanks for that! As we pause collectively to give thanks, perhaps we can also be inspired collectively to give back.

The oft quoted verses of Matthew 25 call us to translate our thanks-giving into care-giving and feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit those in prison. Yet, the immensity of the needs in our world is staggering and all too often we are paralyzed by the enormity of it all, uncertain where or how to begin. 

My invitation to you during this month of giving thanks is to find just one small way to give back. Imagine the tidal wave of care that could wash over our world if we each committed to one small act of kindness. One person cannot meet all the needs of the world. But we can each do our "one small thing" and God can make miraculous ripples happen!

If your “one small thing” leads you to the “visit those who are in prison” part of our collective calling, then check out the suggestions I have listed below.

Whatever your "one small thing" may be, I give thanks for you and the ways that you give back and share your gifts with the world. Thanks be to God! 

"One Small Thing" Suggestions

Learn more about how to support our brothers and sisters who are in prison. The needs are vast, but if we each do "one small thing," transformation can occur...

• I will be leading an Advent study for the women of North East Reintegration Center again this year and would love to provide each woman with her own personal copy of "Mandalas, Candles and Prayer: a Simply Centered Advent." If you would like to buy an Advent Book for an Inmate ($12 each), CLICK HERE

• HOPE Letters is an opportunity to exchange letters of hope and encouragement with those who are in prison, CLICK HERE to register for an information session on Nov. 8 from noon to 1:00 pm to learn more.

• South Street Ministries is looking for individuals or groups who would be willing to offer a meal for a reentry support group that meets on Tuesday evenings in the Akron/Canton area. CLICK HERE to listen to a great podcast about the program and EMAIL Kathy Dickriede to get more info or sign up to donate a meal.

• Attend the free webinar "Restored by Compassion: Given & Received " on December 1, hosted by Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition. The impressive list of speakers include Sr. Helen Prejean and Fr. Greg Boyle of HomeBoy Ministries. CLICK HERE to learn more.

PRAYER FOR THE SEASON

Written by Choctaw elder and retired

Episcopal bishop, Steve Charleston



For all the great thoughts I have read

For all the deep books I have studied

None has brought me nearer to Spirit

Than a walk beneath shimmering leaves

Golden red with the fire of autumn

When the air is crisp

And the sun a pale eye, watching.

I am a scholar of the senses

A theologian of the tangible.

Spirit touches me and I touch Spirit

Each time I lift a leaf from my path

A thin flake of fire golden red

Still warm from the breath that made it.

Spirit Wheel: Meditations from an Indigenous Elder, page 22