Grief and Gratitude
November 20, 2025
Program Start Date & Time: November 20th | 10:00 AM MT
Program End Date & Time: November 20th | 2:00 PM MT
Join us for “Grief and Gratitude,” a transformative mini retreat designed to guide us through the tender landscape of loss and the profound beauty of appreciation. In a world that often encourages us to bypass difficult emotions, we offer a sacred and supportive space to acknowledge, honor, and integrate our experiences of grief, while simultaneously cultivating a deeper connection to gratitude. Through a carefully curated blend of ancient wisdom and modern practices, we will explore our rivers of grief and thanksgiving, and practice spiritual teachings and paths to healing and wholeness. This is an invitation to lean into the fullness of our human experience, finding solace in community and strength in our own resilience.
Testimonials
“Larry and Peggy are brilliant and wise dharma teachers that have lived the dharma and share their wisdom so deeply and freely.. bringing together the most deep and diverse group of people to share their wisdom and diverse teaching to the Lotus Institute.; I love what is happening at Lotus. I am a maverick of sorts, having steered mostly to the Tibetans but Thich Nhat Hanh has been a lightning rod and Larry and Peggy spoke to my heart in that wisdom language that goes beyond the beyond. Thanks for all the work that you do to bring the Dharma to as many as possible.”
Program Schedule
10:00 – 10:30 AM | Opening & Grounding
Led by Dr. Peggy Rowe-Ward
Welcome, centering, theme overview, grounding practice
10:30 – 11:30 AM | Dharma Talk + Poetry
Led by Dr. Larry Ward
11:30 – 12:00 PM | Qigong
Led by Lotus Staff
Movement practice to support presence and flow
12:00 – 12:10 PM | Break
12:10 – 12:40 PM | Somatics & Shadow Work
Led by Lotus Staff
Gentle embodiment and shadow exploration to open inner connection
12:40 – 1:20 PM | Eating Meditation + Total Relaxation
Led by Lotus Staff
1:20 – 1:50 PM | Q&A / Group Reflections
Facilitated by Peggy
Open space for participant questions and shared insights
1:50 – 2:00 PM | Closing Weave & Farewell
Led by Dr. Peggy Rowe-Ward
Retreat Faculty
Dr. Larry Ward & Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward
Dr. Larry Ward is the co-founder of The Lotus Institute, a senior Dharma teacher in Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition of socially engaged Buddhism, and the author of America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal. Dr. Ward holds a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of […]