734.464.7810

The Season of Creation

Sep 27, 2024

Jennifer Norber, MALS, BSW, Integrative Services Volunteer Coordinator

The Angela Hospice Butterfly Garden, August 2024.

 

If you have ever been in the Care Center you may have noticed the intentionality around including nature in the architecture; how every room has a large window and view into the natural world. The landscape and water features are also no mistake as they are meant to evoke our senses and wonder for God’s creation, along with bringing about a sense of peace. And of course, many creatures frolic in these grounds as well.

Just yesterday someone mentioned to me how they watched the baby ducks in the courtyard ten years ago with their mother when they were here, and how special, playful, and joyful it was to see new life created as her mother was transitioning on.

We are in the Season of Creation, which is “the annual Christian celebration to listen and respond together to the cry of Creation: the ecumenical family around the world unites to pray and protect our common home” (SeasonofCreation.org). As a part of a Felician-sponsored ministry, we are called to care for the earth as well.

I encourage you to find a way that is meaningful to you, to be a part of nature. Breathe it in and pause and be thankful. Then dedicate one small gesture to taking better care of the earth. As fellow Volunteer Coordinator Denise Welsh has taught me, “Action is feet on our prayers.”

The following prayer is an adapted version of the “Pledge of Commitment, To Protect and Heal God’s Creation.”

 

We have come to help protect God’s creation.

We have come to commit ourselves anew to one another and to heal injustice and poverty.

We have come to stand together against all threats to life.

We have come to discover some new beauty every day in God’s creation: the sunrise and sunset, birds, flowers and trees, rainbows in the sky, the stars, the many forms of life in the forest.

We have come to listen to the “music of the universe”- water flowing over rocks, the wind, trees bending in the wind, raindrops pattering the roof.

We will remember always that God speaks to us through the beauty of his creation, and we will try our best to answer God’s call to reverence all that he has created.

Recent Posts

Celebrating World Music Therapy Week

Celebrating World Music Therapy Week

Apr 10, 2026

Music therapists across the globe are celebrating World Music Therapy Week to advocate for the benefits of music therapy to improve lives all over the world. While music may sound different from land to land, music has similarities in how we express our humanity.

Did you know most countries use music in play, to accompany work, tell stories of our ancestry or culture, support spiritual identities, celebrate, sooth babies, learn information (such as the alphabet song), support times of mourning, or for simple enjoyment? Music is an accessible companion that expresses who we are and validates our emotions. While music is in one sense is a universal language; it is in another sense deeply personal and effects each individual in a unique way.

read more
The RAIN Technique for Grief

The RAIN Technique for Grief

Apr 1, 2026

We’ve all heard the seasonal adage that “April showers bring May flowers.” Not only does the rain create an environment which enables spring flowers to bloom, but it also offers us a poignant reminder of the importance of self-compassion. If ever there were a time to be kind and compassionate with ourselves, it would be when we are grieving – and yet, we are often our own worst critics, telling ourselves stories about how we “should” grieve. We can be impatient with ourselves, believing that grief is taking “too long” or that we are grieving “incorrectly.” It can be hard to show up for ourselves with patience and a sense of self-compassion.

read more
Navigating New Roads

Navigating New Roads

Mar 31, 2026

In 1997, just three years after Angela Hospice’s Livonia Care Center opened its doors, Jim Jeziorowski met someone there who would change his life forever.

Having completed his internship as a hospice social worker, Jim was considering returning to the field. Georgine “Genie” Favazza was exploring the idea of volunteering as a clown to bring cheer to hospice patients. As it turned out, Genie decided not to volunteer, and Jim went on to work with troubled youth instead of hospice patients. But their meeting at Angela Hospice was fateful one – or maybe rather a faithful one.

read more