Page 16 - MARCH 2 , 2017 - martensville messenger
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Soaring Spirits Helping Widows
Ciara O ’ Reilly , Martensville Messenger
All over the world , spouses are dealt with life changing , and simply unimaginable hands . How do you recover from the loss of a spouse ? Once the world has dealt out to you , the biggest question to ask yourself ishow do I keep playing ?
Rhonda Reddekopp and Leah McInnes were dealt with that hand , and they have turned the experience into a journey towards happiness and self-discovery , and are even picking up other widow ( ers )’ s along the way . Reddekopp was married to Abe for thirty years , and the two parented together four beautiful children . McInnes was Gary ’ s life partner , mother to one and pregnant with another at the time of his passing . As strong as these women are at a time where the world seemed to be crashing down around them , the both of them realized that they cannot deal with this all alone . Alone , not in regards to the obvious support of family and friends , but simply being that no one else understood them or what they were feeling . “ How do you bring yourself to clean the sheets on the bed that you shared , simply because you don ’ t want his smell to go away ?” spoke McInnes . “ Are these the kind of questions that your sister would understand ? Would they understand that you can ’ t bring yourself to touch his dresser , even if it has been nearly four years ? Am I going crazy ?” queried Reddekopp . No one else realizes what it is to truly grieve until they have also been in this place in their life . The two soon began to search for further answers and above all , the support from people who ‘ get it ’.
The search was long and hard as they became aware that there was nowhere they could turn to in Canada , so the pursuit was broadened to America . Soaring Spirits International was then found , and the trek to South Carolina was made . Soaring Spirits is a community base for widows and widowers alike who rely on the community to begin healing . The group creates and maintains innovative peer-based grief support programs for widowed men and women and was founded by Michelle Midgette . These programs are designed for anyone to assist
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ABOVE : Leah McInnes ( L ) and Rhonda Reddekopp ( R ) hold photos of their spouses who have since passed .
with their grieving process ; there are programs for sudden death , death from illness , death from suicide , programs for those that are common law , married , religious , straight , gay , female , male , etc . Soaring Spirits encompasses everything and everyone . This year Reddekopp and McInnes are making their way over to Tampa in Florida to take part in a 5km run for their loved ones . Not only are the workshops supplied by this organization worthwhile , but being surrounded by the community of supportive people was the true game changer . “ We needed this to heal , I don ’ t know where I would be without it ; it ’ s a different life now and it ’ s the people that gave me the tools to heal ,” said Reddekopp . After attending their first weekend workshop with Soaring Spirits , Reddekopp and McInnes decided to resurrect a community support group in our own region .
Soaring Spirits Regional Martensville / Saskatoon is a support group offered to widowed men and women . The group has regular meetings every two weeks usually based at Tony Roma ’ s restaurant , across from the Travelodge in Saskatoon . Coleaders Reddekopp and McInnes take pride in their endeavor in offering the support of a community who understands one another . At such meetings the goers share stories , laughs , tears and at times nothing at all but the company of one another . “ It ’ s a group that no one wants to be a part of but thank God we have it ,” said McInnes . Members of this group consist of people from the areas of Saskatoon , Martensville , Osler , Calgary , and Davidson . Supplying grievers with a sense of belonging is one of the key traits from such a group . “ It ’ s all about finding our identity again ,” said McInnes . “ You find your new normal , and life can be good again - some things are better . Piece by piece you learn to put your story back together . It ’ s a journey , but life can be good again .”
This community is purely an inclusive and comfortable system for both men and women in a no pressure environment . It ’ s a community of people who have total support for one another , and a place where widow ( er )’ s can go to laugh , cry and all of the in-between without feeling guilty . If you are or know anyone who is grieving the loss of a spouse , send an email over to either Rhonda or Leah at Saskatoon @ soaringspirits . org , or visit the Facebook page at Soaring Spirits Regional Group - Martensville / Saskatoon . It is all about that initial step , said Reddekopp . “ Step out and come , I started healing when I started coming to camp , you need to put yourself in that discomfort ; despite that , what do you have to lose ?”