Rochester Post Bulletin
05/19/2006

A Place To Grieve

By Jeff Hansel
jhansel@postbulletin.com

The hideaway tucked into a urban woods once served as a home for Dr. David Donald and his wife, Geraldine.

Now, the couple is buried on the land they loved, but the property will continue to be a restful escape because it was willed to Oxbow Park.

But what to do with the home they left behind? Tom Ryan, park manager, said he approached area service organizations and found that Seasons Hospice was interested in leasing the house.

Now, community members have been invited to tour "The Cabin in the Woods," the former home of the Donalds, at Oxbow on Sunday. Their home has been converted into a retreat for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

The cabin has become part of the Seasons Hospice bereavement program.

"We had always thought that we'd like to find some place that combined nature with our work," said Kris Litzow, Seasons bereavement coordinator.

Grief, she said, is something that affects an entire family.

"I think sometimes people feel that there's a mask. This setting allows you a space where you can safely take off your mask," said Pam Schaid, Seasons administrator.

Hospice programs nationwide offer bereavement support to family members for 13 months after the death of a hospice recipient. But Seasons was determined to extend that service.

"We find that for some people, the second year after their loss is much tougher than the first year," Litzow said.

Seasons will lease the cabin, and that money goes to Oxbow Park.

Cabin in the Woods offers programs in healing through music, journaling, working with clay, walking quilting and movie watching, as well as unstructured "open times" when bereavement-trained professionals staff the cabin so people who want less structure can grieve at their own pace. It's a time when the loss and pain of grief can be allowed to surface.

The serenity and beauty of Cabin in the Woods helps, she said. Spring flowers fill the woods surrounding the cabin, sunlight filters down through tree leaves and the sounds of frogs, wind in the leaves and chick-a-dees float through the air.

"All year long it's absolutely gorgeous," Litzow said.

What: Cabin in the Woods grand opening.

When: Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

Where: Oxbow Park, north of the bison

Cost: Free, donations accepted