Inner Practices for Wellness
June 18-24, 2012

Director's Message

It is that time again - June 18 to 24, 2012.  Time to return to the red soil, gorgeous landforms and the community of like-minded people we have come to love as our second family.  Every year as I drive the roads to Ghost Ranch, I know I am coming home to a place of renewal - the majesty of Kitchen Mesa towering above the valley of Ghost Ranch, Chimney Rock and the fabulous vistas along the trail with the panorama at the top.  How could anyone not feel the glory of sacred space in these majestic forms?  This time spent in community with our diverse friends, old and new, is the time I find both sacred and insightful.  Each year I take from the week sustenance for my spirit throughout the year by remembering the joy, the friendships, the awakenings, and of course, the inspiration. I hope you will find, as I have, that this week is a sacred time.

Those of you thinking of joining our community for the first time this year, 2012 is a "red letter year."  To help those who would love to join us, but their family cost for registration is too tight, we are waiving registration fees for ALL Cubs and Coyotes attending with their families this year (2012).  The Cubs and Coyotes must be registered prior to May 1, 2012, and accompanied by a family member.  Hopefully this will allow some of our strapped families an opportunity to join us in fellowship and have their children in an affirming environment.  Join us, bring the children, and let's enjoy one another!!

This year our theme is "Inner Practices for Wellness" and our Theme Speaker is Dr. Jim Sharon.  He and his wife Ruth Sharon will connect with the adult community as well as our youth.  Throughout the week, we will engage in a wide variety of experiential activities that develop well-being, life balance, integration, and access to inner guidance.  The practices will involve mediums such as visualization, meditation, writing, movement and breathing exercises, and discussion (mainly in dyads or small groups).

Once again, our Community Minister is the Rev. Julia McKay from Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Kalispell Montana.  She has also graciously agreed to lead our choir once again.  If you did not hear the choir perform last summer, you are in for a quite a treat.  Back for his third year as Young Adult and Youth Chaplain is Canyon Bosler who has been coming to WUULF for the past 15 years.

Our Young Adult (YA) program is growing and becoming a great asset to the community. Our co-leaders this year are Kira McCoy, last year's leader, and Spencer Hachmeister, a longtime WUULF attendee.  We will once again be offering housing in Young Adult Dorms for those who are interested.  Please see the Youth page for all the details.  We hope to see the program grow with even more of our 18-24 year olds joining us at WUULF.

Look for the E-mails announcing the beginning of registration.  Register early to be guaranteed a place and to give our volunteer Board members plenty of time to process your paperwork.  We have a limited number of slots available and camp has filled up in the recent past, meaning we had to turn some folks away.  So please register as soon as you can.  Please be aware the our primary means of communication this year will be by email in order to provide timely response and reduce overhead costs; so it is essential that you include a legible email address on your registration form.

So, that is it!  On to the good part: trying to decide which of the amazing opportunities you're going to squeeze in!  There are a lot of changes this year, so be sure to read your catalog carefully.  The time has come.  We need you and want you to attend, to walk with us, and to help us make this WUULF week one of the best in memory.  Consider this a personal invitation to each of you to join our community.  I can't wait to see you all in June.

Blessings,
Bernagene Shay - Director, WUULF 2012
bmshay2@gmail.com

2012 Program Highlights

  "Inner Practices for Wellness" with Jim and Ruth Sharon

Throughout the week, we will engage in a wide variety of experiential activities that develop well-being, life balance, integration, and access to inner guidance.  The practices will involve mediums such as visualization, meditation, writing, movement and breathing exercises, and discussion (mainly in dyads or small groups).

 Jim Sharon, Ed.D., will be our theme speaker on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning.  Jim is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Centennial, CO, with thirty-five-years of experience working with integrative wellness, men's issues, stress management, couple's counseling, as well as other manifestations of spiritual direction.  Jim recently released the anthology: Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Lives: Defining Moments.

Ruth Sharon will work with our youth groups at various times on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  Ruth is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and a wellness coach. Drawing on her experience as an elementary school teacher, K-12 school counselor and college psychology instructor, Ruth works with individuals, couples and families seeking guidance for a variety of concerns and life challenges.

Community Minister

We are excited to welcome Rev. Julia McKay back for a second year as Camp Minister, and she is very much looking forward to joining us again!  Rev Julia is a Unitarian Universalist Minister currently serving Glacier UU Fellowship in Kalispell, MT. She enjoys living at the gateway to Glacier National Park, and values the pristine beauty of the Northwest with all of its opportunity for outdoor activity.
Rev. Julia loves retreat and camp work almost more than anything and she has fulfilled various roles as Keynote Speaker, Chaplain, and Music Coordinator at the Eliot Institute - UU Camp in the Pacific Northwest UU District.  She has also served as Chaplain Resident in a hospital/hospice setting in Seattle.  Before becoming a minister, Julia had professional experience as a public school music educator, psychotherapist, and non-profit director.  Come join her in the morning under the big Wisdom Tree for some spiritual tidbits to take with you as you walk through your day!

Volunteering

Over the years, the ongoing volunteerism and commitment of WUULF's participations has led to its success.  We want and need additional people willing to contribute their gifts and resources to WUULF in new ways; in return you'll receive valuable and intangible rewards.  Here are some ways you can help:

   •   As in recent years, we are asking all attendees to support Social Hour by bringing snacks or drinks (non-alcoholic as well as alcohol).

   •   We are asking all adults, those with and without little ones, to volunteer and engage with our youth.  Our youth will be encouraged to do the same so expect the little ones to engage you.

What's Different This Year?

This year we have decided to help some of our families move out of the "Red." To help those who would love to join us, but their family cost for registration is too tight, we are waiving registration fees for ALL Cubs and Coyotes attending with their families this year (2012). Hopefully this will allow more of our community the opportunity to join us in fellowship. The Cubs and Coyotes must be registered prior to May 1, 2012, and accompanied by a family member. We look forward to sharing our community's children and watching them from year to year as they grow and become integral parts of our community. Join us, bring the children, and let's enjoy one another!!

In past years, the Monday evening Opening Circle has been lightly attended.  There is a lot of important information that is given out at the start of our week, and the Board feels that it is important to the entire WUULF community that we have 100% attendance.  To encourage this, we will be handing out meal tickets at Opening Circle on Monday June 18 after dinner in the Lower Pavilion.  As we begin our week together, we look forward to seeing everyone.

Social Hour

Every afternoon at 4:30 p.m., the WUULF community gathers at the Lower Pavilion porch area for some social time prior to dinner. Everyone in the community provides potluck snacks and beverages for the daily Social Hour. This has generated many enthusiastically positive comments, with people so much enjoying sharing their favorite brew (or homebrew- thanks again, Frank!) pop, and snacks, that we made it a tradition. So, plan to bring your snacks and drinks to share again! Since Social Hour is just before dinner, light snacks are best, and can be dropped off at registration to be distributed by volunteers throughout the week. Thank you all for your generosity and wonderful party-tude! Out of respect for our Ghost Ranch hosts and fellow guests, participants are gently reminded to contain social hour beverages to the Lower Pavilion and patio area. Additionally, although Ghost Ranch has a recycling program, we feel that WUULF can do more to reduce our impact on the local environment (and the world in general!) by minimizing our disposables usage. To that end, during the daily social hours, we will be utilizing bulk containers for dispensing soft drinks, water, lemonade and wine. We would encourage you to think about bringing a suitable drink container or cup to reuse during the week, thus reducing our waste and recyclable products.