“The Anniversary Box Group Sessions”
Christine Rice, Director of the Glen Cove Senior Center, hosted the initial “Power of Love” session for thirty participants in February, 2023. The program has now been expanded. In addition to Seniors, the program is offered also for Wedding Parties and Community Groups. For more information, contact Tom Murphy at Tom@tommurphy.org.
The Power of Love
Learn How to Write Your Own “Love Messages”
Jackie DeShannon sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” We give people a chance to tap into their life experiences and express them in “Love Messages” to make the world a bit brighter.
“The Power of Love” session was first offered for thirty seniors at the Glen Cove Senior Center in February, 2023, see photos on the left. Based on that success the model has been expanded to give groups at senior centers and assisted living facilities throughout the community a chance to participate.
The program draws upon twenty-four love messages in the novel, “The Anniversary Box – A Love Story,’ by Tom Murphy, who facilitates the group sessions. Tom guides participants to express how love has added value to their lives and share insights on ways they’ve kept love alive despite hardships, losses and ever-evolving challenges. Tom plays songs, such as Jackie DeShannon’s tune and others, to prompt discussion and teach participants how to craft their own “Love Messages” that reflect their view on the richness of love – and creative ways they have kept the “bloom on the rose.”
SENIOR SESSION - An hour and a half of joy and connection-making.
The session gives seniors an opportunity to tap into their memories of love in their lives and craft a “Love Message” to share with loved ones, including family and friends, or give to children or grandchildren as a guide to help them keep love alive.
Seniors gain an opportunity to be vital, engaging and proactive, as well as stay “young at heart,” while having fun – and emerge with their own, personally inspired “Love Message” on a card to make their lives and the world a little richer.
While having fun!
The session is especially timely now as news reports chronicle a break- down in “connection- making.”
Kudos to Jackie DeShannon for her wise guidance on the role individuals can play to make the world a bit brighter.
“The Anniversary Box – A Love Story”
Here’s the story in the novel: a young woman, Peggy Moore, is about to get married when she learns that her parents created an “anniversary box.” Each year on their anniversary during their twenty-four-years of marriage they would write a message together. The messages would express fresh new ways to make their relationship stronger, then they’d seal the messages away in a special case, their Anniversary Box.
Six weeks before her wedding, Peggy finds herself getting cold feet. She would consult with her parents for guidance, but her mom is deceased and her dad has suffered a debilitating stroke, so she sets out to find their missing anniversary box to learn the secret to keep love alive before stepping to the altar herself.
For additional background on the novel see this trailer.
Tom Murphy gives a portion of profits from the book to cure lung cancer.
Click to Purchase book on Amazon
For information on how to arrange a ‘Power of Love” session for your group, contact us.
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