WholeHeart Inc.
Feeling the poetry of everyday life

Dru Roessle, of Danville, Vermont, brings deep insight to the WholeHeart board of directors and beyond. She works as a facilitator of groups and teams problem-solving some of society’s most intractable problems. Dru centers relational justice in the spaces she engages in, believing that we already have what we need to create just systems that are designed for care, reciprocity, and collective well-being. Enjoy this provocative, inspiring interview!

Feeling the poetry of everyday life
WholeHeart Inc.
Bringing tenderness to light

On the eve of a full moon, WholeHeart launched its newest program series, Poetry As Portal, featuring Julie Cadwallader Staub, a poet from South Burlington, Vt. More than 40 participants gathered on Zoom, March 25th, to participate in the event, part-poetry reading, part-conversation with the poet, and part-listening exercise for attendees to reflect upon their own lives.

Bringing tenderness to light
WholeHeart Inc.
Living our life like a prayer

What does it mean to live one’s life like a prayer? Heather Omand, of Huntington, Vt., is pioneering a different human way of being in the world as a Queer person, mother, partner, and caretaker of agricultural lands. Read about their insightful journey. Listen to their prose, “What Queerness Means to Me.”

Living our life like a prayer
WholeHeart Inc.
Listening to land whispers

What does it mean to be in deeper relationship with the land where one lives? Three friends spent last summer wandering in the mountains of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, coming to know the plants/medicines growing on the land, preparing meals with the foods harvested, and learning to navigate the wind and waves off the coast of Maine. This story encapsulates some of their heartfelt insights gained.

Listening to land whispers
WholeHeart Inc.
Following the wisdom inside

Marianne Mullen, of Middlesex, is a Vermont artist who draws inspiration from the complexities of being human. One of her paintings is the featured artwork for this year’s Valentines of Gratitude, WholeHeart’s January-February scholarship fundraiser. Learn more about how this WholeHeart community member uses her art creation as a spiritual practice.

Following the wisdom inside

The Elegance of Paradox

The Elegance of Paradox

I've been thinking a lot about paradoxes lately.

This fall I had the great fortune of spending 3 days at a Courage and Renewal® Circle of Trust retreat in Burlington run by WholeHeart. The focus of the retreat was about scarcity and abundance. We spent a lot of time talking about and reflecting on the idea of paradox and I continue to ponder on it.

The Surprise of Following What Calls

The Surprise of Following What Calls

“Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.” – Fortune cookie, 2017

 I ran for elective office in Vermont in November and won. Lots of energized women across this country stepped into the political ring, part of a so-called “pink wave.”

For anyone who knows me well, the decision to seek elective office was largely unanticipated. I was halfway through an interfaith seminary program and this was hardly the type of “service” I envisioned.

This happy introvert (skilled at extroverted endeavors) dreamed of a writer’s life rather than a final career housed in the public sphere.

Timing & Transitions

Timing & Transitions

I was fortunate to be able to participate in Whole Heart’s Courage Earth retreat on Hurricane Island (in Maine’s Penobscot Bay) in late July. The timing could not have been better for me. I had just lost my mother and I needed ways to reflect upon this experience, through words and creative expression in photography, painting and poetry.  Here I share some of the experiences that taking time to listen, grieve and express has surfaced: