Film Viewing at Red Lily Vineyards: “The Magnitude of All Things”

Every day I ponder theprecarious nature of life on earth. We are in deep trouble. Smoky skiesincrease each summer. Ponderosa after Ponderosa succumbs to pine beetles.Drought deepens. With each death my heart grows heavy.

From October to May Ibreathe deeply as the air clears. The grass greens. My fears relax. While therains aren’t exactly prominent, there is moisture. Rainbows return. I shiftfrom despair to hope. Yet, even in the winter, I wonder, What can I do? Howto meet the challenges of climate change? It seems too big a problem tosolve. I know more than a few folks who’ve packed up and moved out. That’s onesolution. But as the phrase ‘climate refugee’ becomes more common, it’s clearthat none of us can truly escape this planetary crisis. That’s the thing. It’splanetary. There is no escape.

Then I came across thisfilm, The Magnitude of All Things. I watched and I wept. It didn’t offersolutions, but it gave a kind of balm. Seeing people worldwide—from activiststo Indigenous Peoples—engendered acceptance. My sorrow didn’t dissipate, but Ifound greater grace within it. As an End-of-Life Doula—one who accompanies thedying and grieving—when death presents, I bring deepest compassion andpresence. The film affirmed that treating the declining planet with the samereverence I bring to human loss is sacred.

I’ve worked with grievingpeople for decades. I’ve discovered that healing comes when mourners feel met,slowly rising from despair when the grief is witnessed without agenda. Watchingthis film offered me that kind of solace and initiated a desire to share itspowerful storytelling with others. Wherever love of earth transcends ideologyand political persuasion, this film opens hearts. I am proud to bring TheMagnitude of All Things, to the Applegate, where we so deeply value theland, river, and spectacular beauty of the earth. The Magnitude of AllThings speaks to the heart, to the heart of the matter of all we arewitnessing, and to the human heart that binds us to this beautiful earth.

Pleasewatch this powerful film with me and others as the sun sets. We’ll hold smallgroup discussion afterwards. It’ll be outside, on July 12, at Red LilyVineyards where you can purchase a delicious meal, have a glass of wine andrelax on the grass. It’s a free event. Bring blankets and chairs for your easeand comfort.

Here’s a teaser and alink to the trailer. “A cinematic exploration of the emotional andpsychological dimensions of climate change: When Jennifer Abbott lost hersister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of climatebreakdown, drawing intimate parallels between the experiences of grief—bothpersonal and planetary. Stories from the frontlines of climate change mergewith recollections from the filmmaker’s childhood on Ontario’s Georgian Bay.What do these stories have in common? The answer, surprisingly, is everything.”Here’s a link to the trailer: https://www.themagnitudeofallthings.com/.

Screeningrights procured by Spirit of Resh Foundation. Free event co-sponsored by AGreater Applegate and Crossroads Death-Care (Takilma).

Formore information, call Lily Myers Kaplan/Spirit of Resh Foundationat 510-390-1098.