How to cope with pandemic holidays will be the topic of Baptist News Global’s next webinar, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3.
The online seminar is free and open to anyone, but advance registration is required to receive entry credentials via Zoom. Register here.
Four panelists will discuss creative ideas for navigating these difficult holidays, covering a range of topics, from generalized grief, anticipatory anxiety, loss of traditions, ways to make creative adaptations, difficult family dynamics and more.
The 75-minute panel discussion, which also will allow for questions from participants, will be moderated by Mark Wingfield, BNG executive director and publisher.
Panelists include two seasoned grief counselors, who will address not only the normal grief of holidays due to loss of loved ones but this year’s grief over the separation of loved ones due to coronavirus precautions.
Laurie Taylor is a former Baptist minister who for a decade has led the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas. A former missionary and former preschool, children and family minister, she combines a pastoral sensibility with her nonsectarian work in grief groups and one-on-one support.
Harold Ivan Smith is grief counselor and independent scholar whose research focuses on the grief of U.S. presidents and first ladies. For 18 years he served on the teaching faculty of Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. His writings include A Decembered Grief, On Grieving the Death of a Father; Grieving the Death of a Mother; When You Don’t Know What to Say; When a Child You Know Is Grieving; and When Your People Are Grieving: Leading in Times of Loss.
Two other panelists bring specific creative ideas and family life experiences to the table.
Amber Cantorna is a Christian musician, writer and speaker based in Denver. She is a regular BNG columnist and the author of two books, Refocusing My Family and Unashamed: A Coming Out Guide for LGBTQ Christians. She has written extensively about her own estrangement from her biological family and her battle with chronic pain. She also is a creative mind, offering insights on simple ways to adapt holiday traditions.
Phawnda Moore also is a regular BNG columnist and is author of the book Lettering from A to Z. She lives in Northern California, where she coordinates international mail art exchanges. She is a professional calligrapher and artist with a passion for creativity in the home and spiritual life.