By Teddy Adorable | Special to the Herald
A wise man once said, “Every story has an ending, but in life, every ending is simply a new beginning.” And so it is, as we share our Beginning Experience.
Beginning Experience (BE) is an international support program for divorced, widowed, and permanently separated individuals that facilitates the resolution of grief surrounding the end of a marriage or relationship and promotes healing. Its vision is to help those who are suffering work through their grief, be healed, transformed and free to love again.
Like butterflies from their cocoons, they emerge from heartache to hope, from the ashes a Phoenix and from death to life. And so in the eternal cycle, we believe that our personal grief can lead to our personal growth and a widening awareness and caring for all of those around us who suffer loss.
BE has many support groups with the BE weekend being the foundation of the program. Participants spend the entire weekend in a safe and meditative environment, where the experience provides support and direction and offers individuals an opportunity to re-evaluate their lives and to move on to the future with renewed hope.
As one business owner stated, “When I was abandoned, I was so confused ... could not think straight. Warm, loving people with an excellent program nurtured me back to emotional stability.”
The weekend is carried out by former members who, after gaining from their experiences in overcoming grief, have chosen to volunteer to give back so that others can benefit as well. These are trained volunteers who give of their time freely and with the utmost dedication to the self-discovery experience.
It all started in 1973 when Sister Josephine Stewart, a family counselor at the Catholic Renewal Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and a divorced friend, Jo Lamia, attended a Marriage Encounter weekend with the intention of developing a program for engaged couples. In the course of the weekend, Lamia adapted the Marriage Encounter process to face issues and concerns in her own life that stemmed from the loss of her marriage. At the close of the weekend, Sister Josephine saw a profound change occur in her friend.
Sister Josephine and other professionals in grief resolution, counseling, psychology, education and spiritual renewal, adapted Lamia’s writings to outline the process for the Beginning Experience weekend. And thus, the birth of BE.
The copyrighted program was soon in motion throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Great Britain and Ireland. Today, 117 certified teams of peer facilitators present the program in communities on three continents.
For almost 30 consecutive years, Beginning Experience Hawaii continues to work miracles through this healing process. Although its roots are as a Catholic based organization, the program is open to all faiths and beliefs.
Because the main vehicle of publicity has been advertising in local church bulletins (and by word of mouth), BE Hawaii has remained a somewhat “well kept secret” in the islands. We hope to change that by becoming more visible, more front and center, to reach more islanders in need of healing in Paradise. We definitely see the advantages for this type of program in our communities.
In 2009, BE Hawaii has scheduled two weekends at the St. Anthony Retreat Center in Kalihi — April 3-5 and Oct. 30-Nov. 1. We extend an invitation to all who have suffered the loss of a marriage or relationship to join us on a weekend of emerging from the darkness of grief into the light of a new beginning, in an atmosphere of compassion and understanding.
The cost is $195 for three days and two nights accommodations, including five meals, and the BE program.
For more information, call (Oahu) Linda 294-8571 or Arlene 949-3387.
We hope to see you then!