It’s Monday morning and the retreat has come and gone. It was a wonderful experience that passed far too quickly, yet I was also very ready to come back home.
Our ladies came from diverse backgrounds and for very different reasons too. For one woman, this was the first time in 13 years to be away from her husband or daughter. For another, the pain of becoming a widow remained very intense. Another participant had just completed her last chemotherapy treatment several days earlier. For many, there were stresses at home that needed to be left behind for a few days. For others, retreat was a joyful choice in a life already filled with positive self-care. Each of these women had a message to teach – as well as something to learn.
There were a few things that didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. Several women needed to leave early for their own needs and reasons. I felt sad that the group became smaller and that we couldn’t have everyone there till the very end. In spite of that, the ones who stayed really did forge a strong bond. I suppose I feel a sadness for the ones who didn’t get that benefit.
I am feeling especially grateful for having Carole Ann there as a partner in the event. We planned our agenda together, took turns leading and facilitating and each brought our own energies into the program. Her energy and pace is very different than mine, sometimes to the point of feeling foreign to my way of being. I am reminded to accept that these differences are what make a vibrant, rich and very interesting world for all of us. The retreat reflected our diverse interests and talents. We collaborated well to serve our participants.
At the end of a weekend like this, I come away physically tired, but also refreshed and ready to see things differently. I am sincerely grateful for so many parts of this weekend – the wonderful caterer Tippy and her new business Summer Stock, our Innkeepers Joan and Dan and those fabulous hot breakfasts made fresh each morning, a comfortable retreat home at Idlewyld B&B, weather that cooperated (especially with a sunny Sunday), my own learning, new friends, positive feedback and the opportunity to continue gathering women again in May of 2008.
I hope that each woman caught a wave of positive energy to carry her home, back into that Monday morning awaiting her talents, gifts and service. I sincerely hope she awakened feeling as refreshed and renewed as I did. I am grateful to be home again.
