Maine has the highest percentage population of residents aged 65 and over in the United States, making it the only state where seniors outnumber children. Many of these older residents are living alone and feeling isolated, and to battle this issue, Windham residents Rev. Patricia Bessey and Karen Swasey are offering a special program at the Windham Public Library in April called “Everyone Has a Story: A Community Reflection Workshop.”
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| Windham residents Rev. Patricia Bessey and Karen Swasey are offering a special program at the Windham Public Library in April called 'Everyone Has a Story: A Community Reflection Workshop' and it is designed to help older residents to slow down, reconnect, and explore the meaningful threads of their life stories in a gentle, guided setting. COURTESY PHOTO |
Bessey is the founder and the President of Soaring Eagles Ministry, and the reflection workshop falls under that umbrella. Swasey is an author who writes and honors the stories of others in narrative medicine, which is the baseline of what Soaring Eagles Ministry does. She has also worked in healthcare for 30 years and works with Bessey to help create programs.
"As people age, they start losing contact with the world that they used to be part of," says Bessey, "Isolation and depression become very prevalent in their lives. We want the community to slow down and give them a chance to rediscover their own voice. When people are isolated, they have a sense that their life no longer matters and that nobody wants to hear from them; people are hungry for connection and reflection, and this workshop provides exactly that. Soaring Eagles is committed to creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued. This workshop is one way we bring that mission to life.”
Bessey met Swasey through the Sebago Lake Region Fuller Center for Housing where they shared ideas and clicked.
"I retired in 2018 and since then have written six books," says Swasey. "I had no idea at the time that writing these books would become stepping stones within what we are now doing to help people to honor their story."
The workshop is ideal for adults and elders who enjoy personal reflection and community connection. No writing experience is needed – just an open heart and a willingness to explore, they say. This uplifting program invites participants to reflect on the experiences that have shaped them, open their hearts to new insight, and listen for the quiet wisdom within.
Through simple prompts, reflection, and supportive conversation, there will be three themes explored:
Everyone Has a Story — honoring the journeys that made us.
Open My Eyes to My Heart — reconnecting with our feelings and inner truth.
Echoes From My Soul — remembering the wisdom that has been waiting to be heard.
“Narrative medicine is all around honoring your story,” says Swasey.
Maine not only has the largest percentage of population over 65 but also has 66 percent of woman age 65 and over living alone, which even more gave Bessey and Swasey the mission to help isolated seniors rediscover their voice and find connection through workshops.
In her healthcare career, Swasey observed patients when she used narrative medicine.
“We talked about them and all the things they enjoyed doing, and by doing so, we watched medications drop off – they were no longer necessary – blood pressure was not as high as it used to be,” says Swasey.
Bessey explained that the program aims to help participants reflect on past experiences that made them feel connected and alive, focusing on heart work rather than head work. She described using techniques like asking about childhood memories to help people reconnect with their purpose and emotions. The concept of narrative medicine, which involves honoring people's life stories alongside their physical health, is an approach that can lead to improved health outcomes by addressing emotional aspects and reconnecting individuals with their inner wisdom and past experiences.
Both Bessey and Swasey stress the fact that they do not “fix” or interpret people, they honor them; every person carries a story that holds wisdom, memory, and mystery.
“Our work begins with the belief that each life contains sacred echoes –moments, memories, and experiences that shape who we are,” says Bessey. “When someone feels seen and heard, healing begins quietly and naturally.”
During the workshop, Bessey and Swasey will share a few slides and other things to prompt guests to reflect which can be done by either writing or sharing with the rest of the group. The two-hour workshop presentation will focus on narrative medicine and personal storytelling.
“This workshop is not a class, not a lecture, and it is not therapy,” says Bessey. “It is a gentle journey into the story of each person. You do not need to bring anything but yourself because this program meets you where you are.”
For more details about the workshops, Beesey and Swasey advise the public to keep an eye on the Windham Public Library website for specific dates and times. <
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