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Hello everyone,
Greetings from Nova Scotia, where the land is parched, the tourists are a plenty, and the tinder is brittle. Wells are drying. And of course the fires. There is a hurricane on the way - we are not sure where Erin will land. And it’s Friday. The evening air is at last cooler than it has been for a while. And there is definitely something magical about sea air. Magical. And I am so very grateful for the friends that come to visit. So very grateful.
I wake up to the sound of ring-billed seagulls outside my window. I moved (again) recently. I can see part of the harbour from my living room window. I’m a 3 minute walk from the gallery. I’ve moved into a senior complex that offers affordable living. What a concept! I drive my car maybe once a week to go grocery shopping, run errands, or take a day trip, exploring the oh-so-many nooks, and coves, that line the Nova Scotia coastline. . so many…And on it goes….
I’m obviously not writing blogs and newsletters as often as I have in the past, but still do wish to stay in touch with folks. It’s been a wild four years since I’ve moved to NS - and it is difficult to believe that it has been that long. The River Gallery on Water Street has celebrated its third year this summer. I’m painting. A lot. And involved in several other creative endeavours, including a new recording project. I’m happy to say that I am joyful for the place I’ve reached in my artistic life. And Bijou the notably feisty cat, is into his 17th year. I’ve recently celebrated my 70th.
And then….there is Grief Radio. We have raised enough through a gofundme campaign to purchase all of the equipment necessary. We had hoped to raise enough funding to hire someone, though that can wait. For now - we would like to be able to launch sometime in September. And we are so very close.
We are ready. There is one snag left to deal with: insurance. We need to be covered for malpractice, and also podcast - social media liability. That is the only thing standing in the way of us launching.
And so, we are putting out another call to see if anyone would consider the value of what this project could offer to those who are grieving, and to help us cross the finish line. I am including a copy of the most recent gofundme update, written by co-host, Ian Smith, that has recently been posted.
Also below is the link to the Grief Radio website. Please have a look through. The prospectus is available online, providing the details of what Grief Radio - a Podcast about grief is all about. The gofundme link is there as well. And please consider joining our Grief Radio Facebook Group.
Grief is a road we all travel at some point in our lives. Some more than others. Grief isn’t only about the loss of a loved one. There are so many other areas of life that we grieve: the loss of home or limb, or pet. The loss of a job, or career, or landscape. Dare we weep for the catastrophic damage being caused by wildfires and flooding. And then there’s war. Mother Earth is grieving. We all grieve. And yet, grief is something that is often misunderstood.
And yet there are not enough support services for those who are grieving. There are needs to be addressed, gaps to fill in the system. Grief Radio could help bridge some of these gaps.
It’s Friday evening. There is a whiff of burning rubber that sometimes passes through the screen. Enough for me to check to see if my stove is off. Other times it smells like burnt toast. Other times the odours are not recognizable. The social media message are subtle: “What to do in case you are told to evacuate.” A deep breath kind of moment. Several deep breaths.
And I go for a walk. By the pier. One of the piers. I sit. I look out. Do I pray? Yes.
The horizon whispers about mystery. I am forever grateful for that peace.
Goodnight everyone, and please stay in touch!
Thank you for being here,
Peace for the journey,
Vivianne
Dear Friends of GRIEF RADIO,
Here’s hoping you are finding ways to stay cool in the heat waves that have been affecting much of North America during the past few weeks … and, if you are living in or near any of the numerous wildfire zones, we hope that you are in a safe place.
This update is to inform you of the current status of our GRIEF RADIO Podcast. Vivianne LaRiviere and I had hoped to have launched it by now, but we still have one more significant obstacle to overcome … namely liability insurance.
We do not require any such insurance for studio space as we will be creating the podcast episodes from our respective personal spaces … Vivianne from her gallery in Pictou, Nova Scotia, and me from my home in Embrun, Ontario. When we have guests, they will be present online from wherever they are located so we do not require insurance to cover them for any physical injury that might otherwise be needed if we had a specific studio that they came to and suffered an injury caused by our space or equipment.
The insurance the podcast does require is liability insurance that could cover any potential malpractice claims made against us. It’s not that we’re expecting any, but in a litigious society such as we are in currently, one never knows if something might be said during a podcast episode that would trigger someone in their pain, and cause them to become angry enough to them to lash out legally. It has been advised that we prepare for that contingency by having specific insurance coverage for that.
Those of you receiving this update from GRIEF RADIO’s GoFundMe page have already been very generous in your financial support to date, and Vivianne and I appreciate that with grateful hearts. And we also understand that, under the pressure of the current tenuous political situation regarding trade negotiations and tariffs, along with the rising costs connected to that, and the overwhelming humanitarian needs in Gaza, the Sudan, the Ukraine and elsewhere, that people are being much more cautious about their use of disposable income for charitable giving. Many charities have noticed a significant drop in recent months because of this. Again, Vivianne and I understand and appreciate this and, for the same reason, are unable to cover the cost ourselves after having already dedicated some personal funding into this venture during its development.
We can see, however, why a resource service like GRIEF RADIO can be an important and valuable contribution to grief support as we encounter all of these disturbing and painful - and yes, grief inducing - situations and losses in our individual and collective lives, aside from other kinds of losses that we more usually associate with grief: death of a loved one, loss of health, loss of employment, etc. GRIEF RADIO has the potential of filling a gap, an essential need for grief support that is presently lacking. We believe that we can help to fill that gap a bit.
We require approximately $900 (CDN) to pay the premium for one year of liability insurance. If there is any way that you can help us achieve this target and/or encourage others to check out www.griefradio.ca to view our Prospectus and GoFundMe page links, we would be very grateful. It is our hope that if the additional funding support is realized, that eventual newcomers to GRIEF RADIO would experience the value of the podcast and help to support it financially.
If raising the funds for this insurance has not been achieved by the time we reach the end of this coming September or October, then Vivianne and I will probably conclude our attempts to launch the podcast.
Thank you for taking the time to read this long update. On behalf of Vivianne LaRiviere and myself, we wish you peace.
Ian Smith
GRIEF RADIO
Co-Developer / Co-Admin
ian@griefradio.ca
