Hildegard Comes Out in the Garden

This past Saturday I indulged in a day of retreat, and it was splendid. A 2.25 hour drive to eastern Michigan brought me to Riverside, the lovely retreat center owned by my friend Susie Clemmer and her husband. The hassle-free drive was clearly part of the retreat too. This was precious time alone with my own thoughts, enriched by the interesting topics on National Public Radio.

Once at Riverside, organizer and friend Claudia Taller helped us to share a relaxing day in the Garden. We shared our favorite flowers and stories about gardens while we ate a delicious breakfast. We were entertained with dance and poetry by Mary Bodnar and participated in gentle yoga with Claudia. Joan Barris helped us to relax under the spell of meditative doodling with fine black pens and the principles of Zentangle. One of the nicest gifts of the day was a free hour to simply go outside, explore the property and bask in the sunshine.

I remembered that the costume I had made for my new St. Hildegard retreat program was in the car. It occurred to me that maybe it was time to reveal her for the first time in this garden to a few compassionate friends. Wearing a nun habit to play Hildegard is the part that is most unnatural and uncomfortable for me. Ever since I heard the voice urging me to “finish the outfit” on Feb. 2, 2013, followed by creating the sold-out seminar I’ll debut on May 17, I have been avoiding the chance to come out publicly as “the nun”. I almost did it when I was scheduled to speak to the My Women’s Business Network on April 19, but then chickened out. Deep inside I knew it was time, especially if I intended to lead seminars in character, I must fully embracing the role.

Before changing into costume, I pulled Susie aside and asked if she would be willing to snap a few photos of me in the habit as I explored the garden. Thank goodness she was eager to oblige. We found a few nice settings and each step made it a little easier to accept the costume. The fact that it is in my favorite color really helps.

After lunch, one of our retreat activities was to create a poem about a special companion. I chose to write this poem in honor of St. Hildegard and share it below:

To St. Hildegard
We meet at a time of despair and crazy doubt
Searching for a teacher and a path
You welcome us home to communion
Mother, healer, leader, and nature’s sister
Time travelers in different bodies
Sharing the experience of God’s love
Transformed from timid to giggling
Comforted by grace and connection
Assured that joy is most appropriate as we play in the garden
Our hardest work made light by a team of angels.