An Open Letter

BY SR. PATTY CAMPBELL, OSF, BATESVILLE, IN

It is late August and I just came inside from practicing TCC on this last day of my annual retreat. I gaze out the window into a sheltered grove of trees, sharing the energy, beauty, peace, and quiet of this grove with the trees themselves. As I practiced TCC in the grove, I recalled other places I have been privileged to do the same – on a Utah mountaintop, on Lake Michigan’s shores, at the ocean in California, in the Arizona desert. What rich gifts the earth brings with its dying and rising, greening and browning. To me, that is who we are – each unique yet all one in purpose: giving to others the gifts we have received, especially the gift of TCC.

I was taught TCC in 1992 by Sister Francis Kay, RSM. She encouraged me in so many ways and believed in me as I stumbled through those initial lessons. As a result of her belief, I became certified as a teacher in 1994. Over the course of 13 years, I have found community at YMCA’s and nursing and assisted living homes; with Alzheimer patients, wheelchair patients, young and old, men and women from all walks of life. Several are now certified TCC teachers.

It is now time to do what TCC has helped me to learn – to let go! I am letting go of teaching publicly. My physical abilities are not the same (I now wear a brace to support my posture), and I believe it would not be fair to students. So I am resigning. And I am sharing this with you because you have supported me through the years, through The Vital Force and other ways. I have read your stories and been encouraged by your faithfulness in giving to others what we have been given through Justin Stone. I will never forget my TCC community and will continue to daily to send out the stream of love and energy as I continue to practice TCC. May I continue to receive the same. Namaste.

Picking Up The Mantle

BY STEPHEN THOMPSON, TUPELO, MS

At the 2007 Conference, Antonia, Pam, and Sandy encouraged everyone to try teaching a weekend workshop. We are taking the challenge to heart.

After Antonia gave a workshop in February 2006, there was an immediate boost in students signing up for our local TCC classes. It was primarily because we really got the TCC name out in the public and into people’s minds. Now, we have a five-teacher workshop starting soon, and I’ve already had new students show up at my regular Saturday class because they’d seen the workshop flyer.

A ripple effect is occurring from our joint efforts, and we plan to capitalize on the momentum. If history repeats itself, we’ll receive several requests from the community for new classes and new places to teach. If we can do it down here in Mississippi, you can do it anywhere.

Community Outreach

BY LORRAINE LEPINE, PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

The process for developing “Guidelines for Teaching TCC to Specialized Populations” is underway with the help of many teachers, chief among them, Hannah Hedrick, Donna McElhose, and Pam Towne. Resource Teachers are presently working on how to teach seated TCC; to people with Lyme disease, COPD, Parkinson’s, and cancer; and to school-age children. The help of all resource teachers is needed to bring this project to completion. Please contact me if you can help with drafting guidelines.

The purpose of the student questionnaire is to note any physical, mental, or emotional changes a TCC student might experience over the course of a class. The collection of uniform data examining a diverse sample could become a pilot for a larger study and help attract research interest. The survey also allows teachers to speak of changes with more authority and they may be able to use the results for marketing. Additionally, a researcher or writer can describe changes in terms of percentages of students that experience certain changes after six to eight weeks of practice. The twelve survey questions relate to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of well-being. The anonymous survey can be taken quickly – before the first class and during the last class.

Anita Vestal, who initiated this research project, is receiving data within a statistical software system. But we are still at the beginning of the process to validate the TCC student questionnaire; we need at least 1000 responses. Any teacher who would like to participate in the pilot study needs to contact me to receive the student questionnaire and instructional protocol. I will also add them to the pilot Teacher list for follow up.