Community Events to Kick-Off the Summer Season!
Community Events to Kick-Off the Summer Season!
Join us in late May to mid-June for the Faith, Freedom & Father's Day Series
May has been a big month. Not only was it the launch of my first online summit ever, The Wheel of Success Summit, on May 3-8 (www.wheelofsuccess.ca), for which we had about 200 attendees… it was also a number of holidays and special milestone celebrations:
It was Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is a challenging ‘holiday’ for me for reasons too complex share in a few lines. I’ve had my share of emotionally heavy Mother’s Days over the years due to that difficult relationship. But this year as much as I did experience some grief, the occasion was mostly acknowledged in peace and acceptance, as well as gratitude and celebration for the mother-figures in my life.
It is Asian Heritage Month. I am truly happy and hopeful for all the awareness-raising and rising voices amongst people of Asian heritage. In my city, the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society has been organizing the explorASIAN Festival for over a decade.
This year, while I didn’t have a chance to participate in the in-person events, I was really inspired by this photo-documentary feature based on the book Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatown's Most Stylish Seniors by Andria Lo & Valerie Luu. Chinatown Pretty documents Chinatown’s signature style worn by Chinese elders everywhere—but it’s also a life philosophy, mixing resourcefulness, creativity, and a knack for finding joy even in difficult circumstances.
I invite you to check out the Chinatown Pretty feature here:
1 Year Wedding Anniversary! The date just crept up on us. We could hardly believe it, but Honey Bear 🍯🐻 and I celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary on May 22nd & 23rd. Instead of a weekend gateway trip, we opted for a staycation because we didn’t want to contend with the long weekend crowds. Alternatively, we did a visioning and future planning day for our marriage, and got excited planning for an 2-week vacation in Europe or Asia this fall.
May and June are months when I am reminded of a focus on family. Mother’s Day just passed, and Father’s Day is coming up. Mothers and fathers form the foundation of a family, whether in the traditional sense with a mother and father or in the modern sense of more than one of each, and everything in between including mother- and father-figures.
Father’s Day is also not the happiest of holidays for me (it never has been) due to my family’s legacy of an absent father, but in the last 5 years or so, I’ve been fortunate enough to have found peace and acceptance in this too.
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Faith, Freedom & Father's Day Series of Community Events
In honour of everything above, I’m kicking off the summer season with a Faith, Freedom & Father’s Day Series of Community Events.
These 3 upcoming events are happening in late May to mid-June.
Join us in recognizing that:
Now more than ever, faith and spirituality are needed to guide us through the challenging times we find ourselves in;
True freedom is not just about us as individuals, it’s when all of us are free. Those who have been historically oppressed and systematically marginalized and made invisible—we stand and walk with them in the journey of awareness, truth and reconciliation. We make their voices and stories more visible;
The foundation of success, fulfillment and social change starts with family. Taking the time and space to honour and heal these core relationships is essential in order to grow to the next level of your business and leadership.
1)
Reconciliation Walk [In-Person]
Sunday, May 29th @ 3-5pm
Meet at Fort Langley National Historic Site
23433 Mavis Ave, Langley
This year, my faith, social justice values and community care efforts led me to join the Reconciliation Seekers Committee at the Canadian Memorial United Church.
We are forming a small group to participate in the Reconciliation Walk this month. It was started by a group of churches in Langley to promote healing and harm done by colonization and residential schools. They have been inviting people to walk on this weekend every year since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report in 2015. This is their 7th annual walk.
It is free to participate, no fundraising needed. It’s a good idea to register and pick up your free t-shirt. You can do so here:
https://www.reconciliationwalk.com
I am inviting my various leaders + business communities and friends circle to join us. Our group is walking Route 1 (in quaint & charming Fort Langley village) on Sunday, May 29th, 3-5pm. The routes are about 1-2 hours long (round trip).
The Reconciliation Walk is a non-religious, family-friendly community event that is open to everyone. You do not have to be affiliated with any church or faith organization at all. If you would like to join our walking group, please send me an email @ hello@raindancerhome.com or text me at 604-723-1727 so we can include you in the logistics!
2)
Testimony of Faith
[In-Person or Online]
During Sunday Service on June 5th @ 10:30-11:30am
Canadian Memorial United Church
1825 W. 16th Ave, Vancouver or https://www.youtube.com/user/CanadaMemorialChurch
It has been four years since I wrote about my father-daughter story and faith journey in the collaborative book Family Tree: Embracing Your Father-Daughter Roots for Forgiveness, Freedom & Fulfillment by Rebecca Harrison.
Last month I was asked by Rev. Beth Hayward, Lead Minister at Canadian Memorial United Church, to share a testimony of my faith.
It was such a challenging (yet rewarding) process write about my faith as it relates to my father-daughter story. I have never spoken about my faith publicly before, so it’s a big deal. It’s a lot easier to write about something deeply personal than speak about it. But as we all know, God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle. If the opportunity is here, it must be all in perfect divine unfolding.
I invite you to participate in the Sunday Service on June 5th and hear my testimony. Even if you do not consider yourself to be ‘religious’, ‘spiritual’, or even if you have some baggage with the church from past experience (like I did), I invite you to tune in. More than faith, it’s also a story about hope, and the transformation that is possible once we surrender to a Higher Power.
Come for the inspiration, stay for the community. It’s a good excuse to see each other if we haven’t in awhile! If you plan on joining the in-person service, send me a note so we can sit together. The Sunday Service is also available live-streamed online via their YouTube channel which can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CanadaMemorialChurch
3)
Honouring the Father-Daughter Relationship: A Spiritual Care Circle for Women
June 2022 date to be announced, around Father's Day
Canadian Memorial United Church
1825 W. 16th Ave, Vancouver
Free or by donation
More details coming soon!
© 2022 Rosalyn C. RainDancer
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