{"id":35591,"date":"2024-12-19T15:37:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T20:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=35591"},"modified":"2024-12-26T15:03:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T20:03:17","slug":"wind-phones-are-powerful-outlet-for-the-bereaved-reflective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wind-phones-are-powerful-outlet-for-the-bereaved-reflective\/","title":{"rendered":"Wind phones are powerful outlet for the bereaved, reflective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The holiday season can be a difficult time for those who have lost a loved one they wish could be seated at the table just one more time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can bring forward a roller-coaster of emotions that are sometimes difficult to express to those who don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a new installation in Sheppard\u2019s Bush is now available as an outlet to express and process one\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, a new \u201cwind phone\u201d was unveiled by Mayor Tom Mrakas and members of Oasis Bereavement along the Klaus Wehrenberg Trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result of a partnership between Oasis and the Town of Aurora, it was built by Aurora residents Vern Cunningham, the Town\u2019s 2024 Citizen of the Year, along with Brian North, and is intended to be a \u201cunique, peaceful space where individuals can engage in one-way conversations with deceased loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resembling a metallic rotary-shaped phone, the wind phone is an unconnected device where people can unburden themselves, with their words taken on the wind. It\u2019s a Japanese concept popularized as a tool for healing, \u201callowing those grieving to express their emotions in a private, reflective moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe concept of the wind phone intrigued me when I first heard about it,\u201d says Lisa Snow, a director at Oasis, which is a volunteer-run charitable organization with the mission to help community members navigate the grieving process. \u201cAfter learning about the power of the wind phone, I brought the concept to [our] Board and our dream to bring this innovative tool to our community was born.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snow thanked the Town of Aurora for their support, along with Cunningham and North, for helping to make the new installation a reality \u2013 as did fellow Oasis director Juliet Irish, who said the wind phone concept helps people \u201csay a proper goodbye to their loved one\u201d if they were unable to do so before they passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site selection in Sheppard\u2019s Bush was perfectly serene, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hope that everyone in the community finds this as really therapeutic\u2026on their grief journey,\u201d said Irish, adding they would like to see an installation such as this in each York Region municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a design by Snow, Oasis approached Cunningham and North, a past Citizen of the Year himself, with bringing the concept to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cunningham is a grief facilitator for a number of community-based bereavement organizations and said he immediately knew the value of a wind phone like this would bring to those grieving the loss of a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an easy decision [to get involved],\u201d he said. \u201cI saw the value for it in the community and I am really pleased it has gotten as much traction as it has. If you\u2019re sitting on a bench somewhere and you\u2019re grieving, you can\u2019t speak into the open air, it\u2019s not a natural thing, it\u2019s not intuitive. To pick up a phone and talk is something we have been doing all our lives, regardless of whether it is connected or not. That\u2019s why this concept resonated with me personally, knowing that it would be an easy thing for people to get used to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept resonated with North on a different level. He recalled his days as a Scout leader when they would sometimes encourage the kids to write a wish or a prayer, \u201cwhatever was on their mind that nobody else would see,\u201d and carefully place the notes on the fire to take them into the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was kind of a spiritual thing,\u201d says North, who also helped build a similar phone with Cunningham in Newmarket. \u201cWhen we did a photo shoot with the Newmarket one, when we arrived there were two vases [inside the wind phone cupboard] with cut flowers. Inside was a picture of a young ten-year-old boy. On the one hand, we felt bad because of the picture of the boy, but on the other hand we were happy that at least we were providing some comfort to someone who was grieving. It\u2019s like everything in life \u2013 there\u2019s a good side and a bad side for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Friday\u2019s unveiling, Mayor Mrakas shared his pride in the Town partnering with Oasis to make this new installation happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reality is that everyone has or will at some point in their lives experience the loss of a loved one,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that the grieving process and the healing process is different for everyone. For some it can be quick, for some it is an evolving journey that never really ends. The one thing that is universal is that people need support and outlets to help them as they grieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m incredibly supportive of this really special project and I have no doubt that many community members will find solace in using this wind phone in connecting with their loved ones. In fact, we have already seen people posting photos of the wind phone on social media. We saw a post the other day, probably about 300 likes, I think, and over 100 comments, which is just incredible that people are seeing it, engaging with it. They love it and it has already started to help people in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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