September 2018 Newsletter

Sep 17, 2018 | Uncategorized

Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,

Sunny and Peter at the marketplace. 

It is a time of year when the summer is winding down and autumn is at the doorstep. It is also the time of year when we are reminded of how the seasons are changing and the year is heading into its final months.

We have had a busy year so far and the next few months promise to be even busier! In recent weeks, we have had a visiting monk, a returning volunteer and several exoneree guests from four countries around the world and have enjoyed it all. Our Sunny Center family is growing and we are truly becoming international in our outreach, which is good since the need for work boundless.

And we want you to know that our readers and supporters are very integral to the Sunny Center mission of helping to heal those who have been wrongfully convicted and who have suffered the pain of incarceration, loss of freedom and separation from loved ones. Please, consider making a donation – large or small. We count on you, our friends and supporters, to make our work possible. It is now easier than ever to make a recurring donation and stay connected with us using the donate button at the top of our Facebook page here. Or, you can also simply click this link to be connected directly with PayPal. We are ever grateful for you belief in us and your support of our work. 


OUR EXONEREE GUESTS AND VISITORS

Liam’s interpreter Howard with Sunny and Peter at the market. 
 

We bid goodbye to our Taiwanese Exoneree guest LinXun “Liam” and his translator Howard, and we learned there is no language barrier to love and peace. It was an interesting learning experience, not only because of the language but because of the cultural differences. Deep and lasting connections were made. We now have an Exoneree brother in Taiwan and an ally and ambassador in our new friend Howard. 
Krissy and goat friend.

We also welcomed our second female Exoneree, Krissy, from America. She wasted no time getting adjusted and immediately fit in, as if she’d always been here. She enjoyed her time in Connemara and has made friends with all the furry and feathered members of the Sunny Center community. 

Brother Joseph Pio in meditation. 

We also had a visiting monk from Italy, Brother Joseph Pio, who visited the Sunny Center on his way to see the Pope in Phoenix Park in Dublin. He is part of a community in Sicily  that started the first initiative to end the death penalty in the 1500s

OUR VOLUNTEERS 

Our newest volunteer Victoria from the UK with Sunny and Peter

We also had the arrival of our newest volunteer, Victoria from the UK. She has been planning this visit for a while and we hope her stay is all that she has wished for.


OUR FURRY AND FEATHERED FRIENDS

Henrietta says hello.
 
The days are growing shorter and the evenings are cooler, but our feathered and furry friends are adjusting. All seem to be enjoying the last fine days of summer and the first days of fall.

OUR ACTIVISM 

This month, we have been busy planning the launch of our newest initiative, which will be unveiled in the coming months. It is very exciting and will enable us to further our work serving Exonerees in significant and meaningful new ways. Watch for announcements in the very near future!

STAY CONNECTED 

Picture


Sunny and Peter feeling peace and happiness.

Last month we asked our readers,  “When do you feel most free?” It is fair to say that we feel free every moment of every day and we do truly appreciate it.
 
SUBSCRIBER COMMENT SECTION:
One of our readers said, “When I am at peace.” We couldn’t agree more! We are all about peace and love here at the Sunny Center. We think it is a true gift to feel peace and give love. It is what we hope to offer here at our little cottage in Connemara.
 
We hope you feel blessed and enriched to give and receive love and peace, wherever you are. And we hope, if you are so inclined, you might consider giving a donation, which would certainly give us peace of mind. Thank you!
 
Which brings me to this month’s question, “When do you feel most at peace?” Send your responses to thesunnycenterfoundation@gmail.com and please indicate if you would like your response published. And please, dear readers, do stay in touch. We always welcome your kind thoughts and wishes. And of course, we are sending our most profound wishes for your happiness with an abundance of peace and love. 

 
Peace and Love, 
 
Sunny and Peter 

Remembering Peter

My dear Peter is gone.
We sang him home on the last day of the year, gathered around his bedside as we had done for so many days before.

‘Send them green.’ A special message from a Sunny Center supporter!

“I had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest at the Sunny Center this past July. My first trip to Ireland, it always is a magical moment to visit friends who live overseas…”

Exonerees are succeeding, thanks to you!

Helping people exonerated of crimes they did not commit, setting them back on the path to a fulfilling life, is a monumental task that we depend on the dedication of volunteers, both near and far, to achieve.

Even in summer, the work doesn’t stop

We’re in midsummer now, with its long days that stretch until 11 in the evening here in Ireland. It’s a busy time for everyone and everything.

The power of art to heal and renew

Did you know that Peter was a woodworker and an artist? He created so many things. But more importantly, he taught those skills to other Exonerees when they visited the Center.

Looking for green shoots

Photo by Samantha Bookman. Peter and I chose to situate the Sunny Healing Center here in this beautiful location in the west of Ireland. A newcomer may at first see only a barren, rocky, windswept landscape. But, put your hand on the earth here, and you can feel the...

A message from Sunny about Peter

The time has come to say farewell to our dear Peter, who is in the process of transitioning from this body and this plane.

Finding Peace, Joy and Hope

The events in Ukraine over the past several days have been ever-present in all of our lives through the daily news and constant social media. These times can be especially difficult for Exonerees because of the traumas they are working to overcome.

Love Is Always the Answer

Winter is always a little bit quieter than the rest of the year. After a long day spent maintaining the Sunny Healing Center and getting it ready for visitors, it’s time for us to cuddle up with the kittens and, of course, Barney, on chilly winter evenings with a warm fire in the hearth.

A Happy, Healthy and Healing New Year to All

Love has no barriers and no limits. And neither does our gratitude for your continuing support and friendship. Know that you are never alone, because you are part of our family.

Happy Holidays to Our Friends Near and Far!

These are extraordinary times. And you’ve all been extraordinary supporters. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to keep helping Exonerees in the midst of a global emergency.