Eighteen leaders from across Réseau Compassion Network (RCN) recently spent five days together in Hecla, recharging, connecting with themselves and each other, and reflecting on their presence together. These semi-annual retreats are offered to staff in the network as a way to keep compassion at the forefront of their work, a reminder of their motivation and calling to work in health and social services.
“The capacity for us to be open hearted and witness people’s life journeys, joys and struggles requires us to have a certain presence of the heart,” explains RCN Spiritual Care Practitioner, Andrew Terhoch. “That’s what this work has always been about. When we talk about our legacy, who we are and where we came from…the Sisters founding principle was to just love people.”
Terhoch acknowledges that it can be difficult to cultivate love and presence within ourselves in a busy, stressful world. “That’s what this retreat is about: creating a safe space for folks to share those gifts with each other,” he continues. “I’m not saying that love is gone from health and human services, but sometimes it can get lost in the minutia. So now we have a growing circle of people who want a connection to their common humanity. And since people make up our system, we want our people to lead with connection, but we know we have to tend to self first.”
The retreat allows space for that tending, and for an exploration of the ways to reconnect with self that might suit each individual. Throughout the 5-day retreat, leaders are offered multiple ways to reflect: meditation, gentle movement, group work, shared meals, movie screenings, poetry and art. There is also an important component of nature, as the retreat is held at Lakeview Resort, which is surrounded by forest and located on the shores of Lake Winnipeg.
“We don’t just walk outside,” shares Terhoch. “We walk with gratitude, and we open our hearts to all the things we normally miss in our day-to-day lives. We made art that included things we’d found on our walks and then held a mini art show where we each spoke about what we created. When we allow others to see us, and love us for who we are, courage will arise, the courage we need to show up every day in the best way possible.”
The special connections and thoughtfulness the retreat was designed to create started to show up very quickly. Participants reflected on how well they were being cared for by the facility staff, and how appreciative they were for the concern showed for their comfort. The conversation led to an idea to collect donations from the group to offer something a little special to the Lakeview Resort staff who work hard and live in a somewhat isolated place in order to do it. A cash donation was made to their Christmas party fund, to do something extra special this year; a gift of the staff’s choosing.
Terhoch isn’t always sure how the retreat impacts leaders; once it’s over, they go back to their organisations to do their work. But he has glimpses of the impacts. “One former participant recently told me that there aren’t days that go by that they don’t think of their time in Hecla,” he shares. “Or I heard from someone considering joining that their colleague had encouraged their team members to attend, and this person wants to participate because their colleague had shown the impact of the retreat in their daily life. This time together is truly life-giving. It’s a gift to be together.”