Friends of Mercy - Prior Meetings

The purpose of this page is to provide more information about meeting speakers, topics, handouts and cited sources from prior monthly meetings.

2007

Sunday, Dec. 16
2:00-4:00 PM

Speaker: Fr. Joe Breighner
Topic: Holiday Survival - The Gifts You Need

Fr. Joe reminded us of several gifts that we could use in our holiday survival bag. He also told us to quit worrying and put our trust in God.

Sunday, Nov. 18

Speaker: Fr. Joe Breighner
Topic: Giving Thanks

We thank Fr. Joe for filling in at the last minute for the scheduled speaker. We all appreciate his talk appropriate for this time of year.

Sunday, Oct. 21

Speakers: Dr. William Urbine, D.Min., LMFT;
Carol Barron M.S.
Topic: The Joys of Being Single
Check one: [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Uncertain

Bill Urbine and Carol Barron discussed the pros and cons of single life, particularly from a spiritual perspective..

Sunday, Sept. 16

Friends of Mercy 20th Anniversary Celebration

Current and former members of Friends of Mercy, and friends and supporters of the organization, celebrated its 20th anniversary with a Catholic Mass and buffet dinner. Sister Joannes was recognized for her many years of work and dedication to helping the newly separated, divorced and widowed deal with their grief and begin the journey to a full life as a single-again person. Good food, good friends and plenty of fun filled the afternoon.

Catholic Review article on the 20th Anniversary.

Sunday, Aug. 19

Speaker: Jim Litchko, the ICE Guy
Topic: Identity Theft - Preventing and Responding

Jim Litchko, The I.C.E. Guy, talked about the problems of identity theft and how we can protect ourselves against it.

Jim's web site is http://www.theICEguy.com, where you can go to sign up for his monthly I.C.E. tips. You can also go here to learn more about his tools and guides to becoming more protected.

Sunday, July 15

Speaker: Diane Dixon, EdD
Topic: Living the Single Life as a Spiritual Journey

Diane Dixon's talk helped us identify those actions that will enhance our spiritual journey, recognize our authentic connections to others and develop meaningful relationships. Nurturing our divine spirit and a higher level of awareness enables us to develop inner peace.

Sunday, June 17

Speaker: Dottie Levesque
Topic: The Journey to Wholeness

Dottie introduced her talk by sharing some of her stories from her childhood. Then she assured us that a day will come when we will be happy again. ,,, We will experience "Wow" again. Our goal is to rediscover "Delight". At the same time, remember that if we do not feel the pain, we will not know how to love again.

First we need to figure out what we are missing. Then we need to build a bridge to what we need. These are the steps:
1. What are our gifts?
2. Feel God's Love
3. Read / go to talks / listen to tapes / etc.
4. Journal
5. Look for support: group/counselor/therapy

Sunday, May 20

Speaker: Chip McMann
Topic: Zen for the Single-Again

After a brief history and overview of Buddhism, Chip shared some key parts of the Buddhist philosophy that he felt were useful for the single-again person:

- Life is difficult
- Things are neither good nor bad. They just are.
- Feelings are only feelings.
- There is no reality that we can experience. (Our perceptions of "reality" are biased.)
- There is no "self". We are not separate from the rest of the world.
- You cannot control your world.
- The present moment is the only time (that matters).
- Meditation leads to awareness of these truths.

Sunday, Apr. 15

Speaker: Carole Frank
Topic: Yes, you can say "No!"

Carole Frank says we can maintain a healthy relationship without being "people pleasers". Through some interactive discussions and roll-play, we learn strategies to be assertive without being aggressive.

Sunday, Mar. 18

Speaker: William Ermatinger
Topic: Anger: Good - Rage: Bad

Bill Ermatinger returned to FOM to discuss a difficult topic for all of us. Anger evolved as a defense mechanism for the human race. Bill explained that anger is not necessarily bad, but the inappropriate expression of anger can be. Sometimes, our anger is directed at a "safe" target, even though that person had no part in the generation of that anger. Bill recommended ways to discharge anger in more safe and appropriate ways.

Sunday, Feb. 18

Speaker: Dr. Ann Kaiser Stearns
Topic: Traits of Triumphant Survivors

FOM's largest attendance in years turned out to hear Dr. Stearns tell inspiring stories of the triumph over tragedy. She retold stories from her books to show examples of how survival is possible against impossible odds. After her talk, she answered numerous submitted questions. Her books, “Living Through Personal Crisis” and “Coming Back – Rebuilding Lives after Crisis and Loss” were available for purchase during the afternoon.

Sunday, Jan. 21

Speaker: Jim Litchko, the I.C.E. Guy
Topic: Prepare for Any Emergency in 59 Minutes

Jim Litchko, The I.C.E. Guy, stepped us through the steps in preparing for an emergency. Most important is collecting all the important information in one place. This includes personal information, finances, properties, insurance, and if appropriate, final wishes.

Jim's web site is http://www.theICEguy.com, where you can go to sign up for his monthly I.C.E. Tips You can also go here to learn more about his tools and guides to becoming more prepared.

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Sorry. Notes from years prior to 2002 were not saved.