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'Find Forgiveness and Feel Love' offers program to help 3 generations use skills & music to stop stress

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Mon, Aug 30th 2021 02:50 pm

“Find Forgiveness and Feel Love” will be offered from 10-11:30 a.m. Saturdays, Sept. 11 and 18, at Unity of Buffalo, 1243 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. The free online workshop is based on “Less Stress, Better Health and More Love,” authored by the workshop leader, Dr. Tom DeLoughry. It was honored by AARP’s Social Impact Award as “a simple mind body-Spirit program for seniors, adults and teens of any faith, or no faith.”

A press release stated, “Workshops will teach four ‘satisfaction skills’ (awareness, appreciation, assertiveness and acceptance) that can stop stress – initially for just a minute before growing into hours or days of peace. Participants will also explore how music can enhance the power of these skills for themselves or others. This segment will be led by Anandhi George, whose extensive experience as a music therapist will be a valuable asset in helping participants to use music to achieve their goals.”

DeLoughry said, “Of course, we need to protect ourselves when we’re threatened, but holding on to negative emotions cause us to focus on just the ‘bad’ inside us and around us. And if we just see the ‘bad,’ we’re likely to make bad decisions. But you can stop this self-defeating cycle by using one or more of the ‘satisfaction skills’ to forgive yourself, others and even God.

DeLoughry’s career includes directing drug abuse programs in child psychiatry at Buffalo Children’s Hospital; wellness and disease management programs at Independent Health; and spiritual enrichment programs at the Franciscan retreat center at Stella Niagara. He served as an adjunct assistant professor of public health and a research assistant professor of family medicine at the University at Buffalo, where he earned a doctorate in health education and behavior. His “Friendship Trilogy” novels (www.FriendshipTrilogy.com) are about four musicians who meet in the ’60s, are stunned by terrorism, and then struggle with the epidemics of opioids, COVID-19 and fear.

The workshops are sponsored by Unity of Buffalo, “an inclusive spiritual community that offers a progressive approach to Christianity and honors the universal truths in all religions.”

“Forgiveness is an essential spiritual practice, and I like to emphasize the word ‘practice,’ ” said the Rev. Mary Masters, senior minister at Unity of Buffalo. The universe in its infinite wisdom gives us lots of opportunities to practice, and I have found that ‘it works, when you work it.’ We can learn a lot from each other as we share our practice and make this one of our foundational principles for living. Forgiveness is the key to freedom."

 On Sept. 12 and 19, Masters will speak on "Forgiveness Guides Us to Freedom" and "Freedom Opens the Door. Now What?" All of Unity Sunday services, as well as the “Find Forgiveness and Feel Love,” can be viewed on Facebook Live by visiting www.UnityBuffalo.org

The free “Less Stress” workbook can be downloaded by anyone who preregisters for the online workshops at https://www.facebook.com/unitybuffalo.

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