Soul Expression has hosted a circle of women who have met almost every other week for eight years. It started at the request for another journaling workshop to complement our monthly gathering; one time a month to journal and share was not enough. So - the Thursday Night Circle was created back in April of 2003.
We come together to be and I always have a topic which helps directs our attention and is "another way in" to access one’s true self. Typically we get our tea or coffee, a little snack, and settle into our seats arranged in a circle. My favorite expression about this group, as we witness and share with each other, is that it is "accelerated learning" since we learn so much from each other. I've been told that we cannot stop having the circle as it is one of the few times in their busy lives where they can stop and be who they truly are.
Last week's topic, Mother & Me, was based around the observance of Mother's Day. We spent the evening journaling, reflecting, and sharing about our mothers. It was a very meaningful time and reminds me why we do this; to go deeper into who we are and are meant to be. Each of us had a different story to share and we learned so much about ourselves.
One of the exercises was to fill in the blanks of incomplete sentences. This "fill in the blank" method helps get the writing juices and memories flowing. After all the blanks were filled in and read aloud to the circle, this exercise revealed interesting stories about our mothers and our relationship to them. We also felt like each question could be a prompt for journaling in greater detail. Perhaps we will continue this topic into another circle...
Below are some of the incomplete sentences which the Thursday Night Circle worked with last week. I hope you find them interesting and insightful as we did.
1. My mother’s name is ________________________________________________.
2. My father called her ________________________________________________.
3. I call her ___________________________________________________.
4. My mother was born into a ____________________________________ family.
5. She had ____________________ siblings.
6. As a child, my mother ________________________________________________.
7. I’ve been told that when she was a baby __________________________________.
8. My favorite photograph or image of my mother as a child _____________________.
9. In her twenties, my mother’s dream or desire______________________________.
10. She met my father ___________________________________________________.
11. They were married ___________________________________________________.
12. She describes those “honeymoon” years _________________________________.
13. My mother was ______________ years old when I was born.
14. She was _________________________________________ during her pregnancy.
15. I was born ______________________ with _____________________________ in attendance.
16. She was ______________________________________________ upon my birth.
17. As a young child, I remember my mother as _____________________________.
18. My fondest memory of her ___________________________________________.
19. As a child, if I could change anything about my mother it would _______________.
20. As a teenager, my mother and I would ________________________________.
21. As a young adult, my mother and I _____________________________________.
22. In my thirties, ____________________________________________________.
23. My mother had a talent for _________________________________________.
24. My mother values/ed _______________________, _______________________,
and _________________________________.
25. Her values appear/ed in her attitude and actions, such as the time when ________
___________________________________________________________.
26. People who know/knew both my mother and I say that ______________________.
27. My mother was the most proud of me ___________________________________.
28. She was most disappointed _________________________________________.
29. The motherly advice she has given me which is most relevant today is ___________
_________________________________________________________________.
30. The least helpful advice she has ever given me _____________________________.
31. The “gifts” I received from my mother include ______________________________.
32. I learned to ____________________________________________ from my mother.
33. Whenever I _________________________________________, I think of my mother.
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