The phone no longer rings and there is no dial tone. In fact, it’s connected to nothing at all. And yet, it provides people in grief a way to express feelings, share memories and say the goodbyes they never had the chance to say.
On Wednesday, July 19 at 10 a.m., Niagara’s first Wind Phone will be unveiled along a trail at Ball’s Falls Conservation Area.
The concept is simple and yet incredibly profound. A Wind Phone is for anyone who has lost someone special in their life. When people lift the receiver, even dial a number, they have an opportunity to talk with their special person and let the wind carry their thoughts and words over the trees and into the beyond.
“People can say what they need to say then release it to the wind,” says Sue Shipley, Senior Director, Clinical Services at Hospice Niagara.
”Give yourself permission to say and feel whatever is in your heart and mind. In grief, there is no right or wrong; no judgement or critique. Be at one with nature, your thoughts and memories.”
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) manages the Ball’s Falls Conservation Area and Centre for Conservation. Its vision of “Nature for all” envisions a healthy and vibrant environment with shared greenspace and clean water that sustains life for future generations. The Wind Phone partnership with Hospice Niagara is an opportunity to showcase the restorative power of nature at this and other NPCA sites throughout the Niagara Peninsula.
In 2010, the original ‘Telephone of the Wind’ was created in Japan by a man who needed to talk with his cousin who had died of cancer. These one-way conversations made his grief more manageable. A year later, when a tsunami devastated the coast of Japan, he opened his wind phone to others who had lost their loved ones. People travelled from around the world to visit, grieve and remember. These days, there are many Wind Phones located around the world.
Grief is a natural response to loss and it is unique to everyone. Hospice Niagara offers a variety of programs and workshops that encourage healthy, real conversations about grief and promote strategies for wellness.
- 30 -
About Hospice Niagara
Since 1993, Hospice Niagara has been helping people and families live well from the time of diagnosis, through to end-of-life care and bereavement. Our programs and services are free of cost and support people in their homes, in the community and in the hospice residence.
Contact: Cheryl Clock - Communications Manager, Hospice Niagara
905-984-8766, x227 | cclock@hospiceniagara.ca
About the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA)
NPCA is a community-based natural resource and watershed management agency with more than 63 years of experience providing programs and services related to flood and hazard management, source water and species protection, ecosystem restoration, community stewardship, and land management and securement. NPCA manages 41 Conservation Areas within the Niagara Peninsula held in public trust for recreation, heritage preservation, conservation and education.
Contact: Erika Navarro - Communications Specialist, NPCA 905-650-4027 | enavarro@npca.ca