“I believe the future of our world depends greatly on the manner in which we handle our grief.” ~ Sobonfu Somé
I’m proud to be part of a soulful new space supporting grief and connection – The Lantern.
The Lantern is a midcentury building in southeast Portland (formerly a church) being transformed into an inclusive, intergenerational gathering place. Offering connection, grief support, healing, and belonging, The Lantern is a place to come together to share in life’s joys and sorrows.
I’ve been participating as an advisor since The Lantern’s founder, Emily Fusaro, first shared her vision and longings with me. Once programming begins in 2026, I plan to situate some of my offerings in this beautiful space.
In the 15 years that I’ve been supporting individuals, families, and communities in their grief, two things have changed. First, the collective experience of grief has grown exponentially – climate crises, genocidal wars, the rise of fascist white nationalism, a global pandemic, deaths of despair through overdose and suicide, the cruelty of unnecessary poverty caused by billionaires’ greed. So. Much. Heartache.
“The sound of being awake in our time is a sob.” ~ Stephen Jenkinson
At the same time, more are awake to what the world asks of us at this time – to become more skillful in our grief. To understand grief as core to what connects us to each other and to all life on this gorgeous planet.
Some of my go-to resources for engaging grief as a skill, and not just an emotion, are the works of Stephen Jenkinson, Francis Weller’s books Wild Edge of Sorrow and In The Absence of the Ordinary, poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley (check out their newsletter Things That Don’t Suck and documentary, Come See Me in the Good Light), and Anderson Cooper’s podcast All There Is.
As helpful as these resources are, there’s more to grief work than reading, listening, and watching. The Lantern shines a light on what we need perhaps more than ever now: connection. Please consider joining me to help the vision of The Lantern come to life.