November 18 will be a “people’s session” on “Living and Breathing Gratitude.” The community will hear from several presenters sharing their wisdom about gratitude through stories, ideas, poetry, music, daily practices, and religious or cultural traditions. The sharing will be meditative so people can soak in the richness of diverse experiences and perspectives. The group will then reflect together on the relationship between gratitude and practices of empathy, compassion, empowerment, and hope, especially during hard times in personal lives or social-ecological life.

Participants will be invited to join in sharing and analyzing gratitude as the discussion continues, asking such questions as: What is gratitude? What is it not? How does it emerge? What are its limits? How does it shape human lives and the world in which we live? Mary Elizabeth Moore, a researcher and poet of process-relational theology and practice, will host the session, and the voices will come from many others, including those named here. Jared Morningstar is an independent scholar with expertise in philosophy of religion, Islamic studies, comparative religion, metamodern spirituality, and interfaith dialogue. Two of his present interests are contemporary nihilism and the “meaning crisis.” Bob Mesle is a teacher extraordinaire and a mentor for many in the Process-Relational movement. His books have been basic texts in process thinking: Process Theology and Process-Relational Philosophy. Chris Hughes is the Chair of CPS’s Certificate Program and is an award-winning high school teacher. In his teaching career, he has worked with young people “at risk,” taught math and physics, and taught Mindfulness to both students and teachers. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

About the Presenter(s)

Mary Elizabeth Moore is Professor Emerita of Theology and Education and Dean Emerita of the School of Theology, Boston University, and she has held several roles in the Center for Process Studies and Cobb Institute (now merged with CPS). Her passion is to journey with others to build compassionate and prophetic communities, and a more just, peaceful, and ecologically thriving world. Central to that work is building intercultural, interracial, and interreligious relationships. She has written numerous books, including Sacramental Teaching; Teaching from the Heart; and Ministering with the Earth, as well as co-edited volumes such as Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World and Deep Understanding for Divisive Times. She has also published numerous articles on dignity, ecological justice, white privilege, gender and sexuality, and practical wisdom. Her latest joy is writing poetry, and her most recent book is So Much to Love, So Much to Lose. Mary Elizabeth and her late husband Allen have 5 wonderful children and 8 fabulous grandchildren.