Holding on to Transformation: Reflections on Global Service-Learning

This chapter focuses on the results of a modest qualitative study initially inspired by an archetypal story titled, "The Crescent Moon Bear," as told by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (1992), in Women Who Run with the Wolves. The story of the "Crescent Moon Bear" suggests that it is just as difficult to maintain wisdom as it is to obtain it. The story also speaks to the process of grieving that one goes through in order to reach a state of forgiveness. While this thread is beyond the scope of the study, the author acknowledges that themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, grief, and patience were all powerfully present in page after page of student responses.