How We Can Approach Our Sorrow as a Gift—an Interview with Denise Martini
November 17, 2012
Hosted by Marianna Cacciatore
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
How We Can Approach Our Sorrow as a Gift—an Interview with Denise Martini “Thus our sorrow becomes our gift…. As soon as we begin to heal – the instant we experience some degree of inner clarity or spaciousness – in the very next breath, generosity naturally arises. As we feel the measure of our own strength, we simultaneously experience a natural impulse to share it. This is not faith, this is simple spiritual physics: As we are fed, so do we wish to feed others.” —Wayne Muller In the midst of a difficult life passage, we rarely reflect on it as a gift. That’s natural enough. We’re in the fire of pain and sorrow. However, for those who have walked through the experience to the other side, there is a larger story often told—one of gratitude for the heart-break becoming a “heart broken open.” Today Marianna will speak with Denise Martini, a Certified Hakomi Practitioner and Movement Facilitator, who skillfully guides her clients through their sorrow and has seen the compassion and tenderness that arises in the aftermath.
Bread for the Journey Radio
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
Today’s news is filled with stories that break our hearts. On Bread for the Journey Radio, you’ll hear stories that help mend it back together. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things, often small and always meaningful, to make our world a better place. Some, like Marianna, have suffered a tragedy, and, as a result, have created something beautiful to bring others healing. Others are helping women in crisis, making life better for children living in poverty, greening their neighborhood, or any number of creative things that make their community more beautiful, healthy, and connected. These women, men and young people inspire us to think about our own lives, and what we can do to make a difference in the world. Their stories become Bread for our Journey, inspiration and nourishment for a life well lived.
Marianna Cacciatore
Most would agree Marianna Cacciatore’s life has been one well-lived. Through her work over 25 years with people who are working to bring about a better world, she has a unique vantage point from which to tell the stories we don’t generally hear in the media today. Marianna possesses the rare gift of presence, a deep listening which evokes in people the desire to tell their story.
Having suffered a childhood tragedy that spiraled downward into her teens and young adult years, she eventually turned things around and created a grief center that has brought healing to thousands of people. She recounts the full story in her book, Being There for Someone in Grief. Today, she serves as a Lifetime Emeritus Board Member of Tu Nidito in Tucson, Arizona, the parent agency for the organization she founded in 1988 called Children to Children, a Center for Children and Families in Grief.
Everyday Marianna meets ordinary people doing extraordinary things through her work as Executive Director of Bread for the Journey, a philanthropic organization with 20 locations nationally. Each volunteer-run chapter practices neighborhood philanthropy in their respective communities, helping everyday people bring their community-minded ideas to life. The Bread for the Journey vision is to nurture the seed of generosity in every human heart and Marianna’s life is a living expression of just that. Join her as she ignites the heart of generosity in you.
