The labyrinth will be the focal point for three healing walks
PeaceHealth’s Hope Bereavement team is constructing a 27-foot labyrinth to help families and friends grieving the loss of a loved one. The labyrinth will be the focal point for three healing walks:
- Wednesday, Aug. 11 for those who lost someone to COVID-19
- Wednesday, Aug. 18 for those in our hospice program or in the community who have lost a loved one
- Wednesday, Aug. 25 for those who lost a loved one to suicide
Each walk will take place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the parking lot at PeaceHealth Hospice, located at 5400 MacArthur Blvd, in Vancouver. All walkers must wear a mask, social distance, and sign an attestation form declaring they are symptom-free.
Labyrinth walks date back thousands of years, and are used as a method of prayer, meditation or reflection.
“The journey of walking the labyrinth becomes a metaphor for one’s grief,” explains PeaceHealth’s Hospice Outreach Supervisor Colleen Storey. “The feelings of not knowing the way, feeling lost, or simply feeling as though no progress is being made are common in grief — and in walking the labyrinth. But, unlike a maze, a labyrinth has only a single path to the center. It has no dead ends, and there is no possibility of getting lost. Instead, the path leads us to the center, a sacred place, where tears, regret, sadness, guilt and anger are often released to God or one’s higher power.”
When walking out of the labyrinth many become aware of a sense of release, a letting go of at least some of what was brought into the labyrinth. Many report feeling a sense of peace and hope for the future.
If you or someone you know is in need of bereavement support, please encourage them to visit our labyrinth or connect with PeaceHealth’s Hope Bereavement Services at (360) 696-5120 to help them through this difficult time.
Hope Bereavement Services, a program of PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, provides emotional support and information for healing as you grieve – offering bereavement support groups and counseling to members of our community, including individuals, families and children. For information visit peacehealth.org/southwest/bereavement-services.
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