Monday, July 9, 2007

Dear God,

The physical work of preparing for a retreat is a laborious one. Making a mental checklist of everything necessary and not forgetting anything is important. Sheets and blankets for 11, dinnerware for 11, car space for 11, toilet paper for 11, chairs for 11, and so on. Preparing my home for 11 women is a true task and labor of love.

My home will be home to these retreat participants. Here they will find a welcome and a nourishing nudge to move toward a spiritual engagement. They will find here a pathway to the Divine. My home will be a spiritual home as they give themselves to the retreat process. What I do to prepare my home and my spirit will help lean them in a direction where they will encounter the Sacred.

I take seriously my role to be prepared, to provide an atmosphere where they will be comfortable and safe enough to grow their souls. I pray, but more than that, I walk in a fashion that allows God to envelope me so that I am ready to receive so that I will be enabled to give.

Various activities have been planned, spiritual exercises designed to stretch, challenge and encourage reflection, conversations to stimulate body, mind and spirit. Not only is my home, our home a peaceful place for a serene, tranquil experience, it is also an environment where God is present.

Mine is to pray for the women as they come, to offer them respite and challenge. Mine is the joy of heaven.

Loving God,
challenge us
in the heart
of our souls.
Stir peace within us.
Lead us toward growth.
Fill us with joy.
May your compassionate hope
guide us toward newness of life.

Love, Andrea