Workshop Offers The Opportunity to Write Reflections on Life and Legacy

Workshop Offers The Opportunity to Write Reflections on Life and Legacy

After years of listening to others' stories,  in 2005 former Naperville therapist and popular speaker and workshop leader Edna C. Groves turned to helping people chronicle their life stories, learnings and legacy through guided autobiographical writing.  Recently certified as a Guided Autobiography Instructor, she has been trained in the method created by

Dr. James Birren, esteemed gerontologist and Director of the Birren Center for Autobiography & Life Review.  The Center is dedicated to enriching the lives of adults through writing, sharing, and preserving their life stories and life experiences.

Groves will offer a six-week Guided Autobiography Workshop in Downtown Naperville beginning on September 25 from 9:00-10:30 am. The first session is a free introduction to  Guided Autobiography and the writing process. Participants will be guided through a series of prompts and brief writings and have the opportunity to share in the subsequent five sessions.

 “Capturing your memories on paper is a reflective practice giving new meaning and perspective to the life you have lived,” says Groves.  “You may write your autobiography for yourself, or share it with those you love so they may know you better.  It becomes a precious heirloom only you can give.  You don’t have to be an author to write your own life story.  This process makes writing and reflection a very approachable, eye-opening and rewarding experience.”

 In addition to Guided Autobiography, Groves offers workshops in writing your Legacy Letter, otherwise known as an ethical will, a brief, focused personal letter to be given to family members, containing aspects of heritage, values and expressions of love for descendants.  She also helps write Legacy Letters and serves as a personal biographer through her business, Words That Endure.                                          

Edna Groves received an M.S. in Counseling Psychology in 1975, and was a psychotherapist for 22 years, working with individuals and couples.  Since the mid-1970's she has also worked as a workshop facilitator, retreat leader, and speaker. She is a Nationally Certified Facilitator of Life–Legacies Circles™, a member of the Sage-ing® Guild, and of the Association of Personal Historians. Her articles have been published in numerous newsletters, and her essay, “Finding Home,” was published in the anthology Our Turn, Our Time: Women Truly Coming of Age. Her essay, “Embracing My Name,” was published in 2011 in Red Silk: a Red Tent Anthology.

“I’m also a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, dog-lover, life-long learner, and woman of heart,” she says.   “My greatest joy at this time in my life is to capture stories—mine and those of others.”

For more information on the upcoming Guided Autobiography workshop visit www.wordsthatendure.com and indicate your interest on the contact page or call 630-204-1650.