Spring is almost here and along with the lengthening days, we look forward to our annual Spring gathering which will take place on 5th April in Elaine’s home village of Ardpatrick Co Limerick. Please save the date. We look forward to seeing many of you there.
Our AGM which took place in January provided an opportunity to reflect on 2024. In April Marta Fabregat kindly hosted a beautiful day in Gort, Co Galway. Our Autumn Gathering took place in the Dominican Centre in Tallaght in September.
AGM 2025 Screenshot
We also had an active year online. In May, Gordon Adam from the British Focusing Association facilitated an evening with the theme of Focusing in community. In November, Mary Jennings facilitated a Movie Bites evening where we viewed video clips from the TIFI library. We were privileged to have Nada Lou join us for that evening making it a very special occasion for our network.
Much appreciation was expressed at the AGM for the many activities and resources offered by members: the bi-monthly poetry evenings, our weekly zoom sessions, and of course our wonderful newsletters. Many have also enjoyed listening to the Focusing Pathways podcasts.
A desire to encourage and develop good Focusing practice led the committee to organise a series of monthly Listening Skills Refresher evenings which were generously facilitated by our wonderful Focusing teachers. The dates of upcoming evenings are March 31st, April 28th and May 28th. We’ve been delighted and encouraged by the attendance and would love to see them continue. If you’re a Focusing teacher and would like to facilitate a Refresher evening in the future, please get in touch.
Screenshot from Anne Lawerence's class
Screenshot from Therese's Ryan's class
Our heart-filled thanks to everyone who supports the network: those who facilitate the workshops for our in person gatherings and our online events including our Refresher evenings, to our zoom hosts who keep the weekly zoom sessions going smoothly, and to those who produce our newsletters, as well as the committee who work behind the scenes.
Suggestions offered during the AGM included: an email address for raising specific concerns which may arise, the possibility of organising a conference or larger workshop to promote Focusing and support the growth of our network, a space for sharing the rich Focusing stories of our members.
The committee is currently drawing up guidance for good Focusing practice in order to nurture and maintain a sense of safety within our community and to promote respectful connection. We will be sharing these guidelines with you all by email in the coming weeks.
It’s the time of year to renew your membership, so if you haven’t already done so, please take the time to register using the link by clicking here.
We are delighted to welcome some Focusing friends from Iceland to our network. Please look out for them at the zoom sessions and make them feel welcome.
Finally, we encourage you to consider how you might contribute to growing and developing our network. It may be helping out with the newsletter, becoming a host for our weekly zoom sessions, offering a workshop online or at one of our in person gatherings, or spreading the word about Focusing. There are lots of opportunities to become involved. We depend on all of you, our members, to keep our network alive and growing and thriving. Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment.
The committee members are:
Chairperson Therese Ryan
Secretary Kay McKinney
Finance Officer Peter Duffy
Elaine Goggin
Marta Fabregat
