Good Morning…
I wake the morning after our “With God Weather Life” retreat. I miss the women who experienced with me calming waves of candlelit, colorful sand and shells, Scripture and silence, sacred reading and solitude’s rest. For one night and two days, we weathered waves and waves of transformative wisdom. By the Bible, select authors, and one another’s stories, we were shaped and reshaped, formed and reformed, strengthened softly from the inside out.
I hugged goodbye to each special person and peacefully packed up our plethora of powerful props. I promised myself that I would sit with the women’s evaluations when my car was happily filled to the gills. So I pulled up a chair, wrapped up in a blanket, and overlooked the fall forest to read their reflections.
“I came to this retreat to get away from the chaos of life and have time to listen to God. This was a breath of fresh air. I loved the symbols of shells & nature to remind me of every one’s life journey. Others’ stories and insights have helped me grow. I am so appreciative of the opportunity, of being stretched, fed, and renewed – God was revealed in so many forms and my take away message was my need to soak in God, allow God to wash over me, tumble me and in the end strengthen me from the inside out as I strive for wholeness.”
“Could my life have been a rare unblemished shell in the sand, that any beach walker would have picked up to keep? A perfect specimen sold under glass in a tourist shop? Perhaps. But nothing of adventure or significance could have happened to me. No cuts allowing deep introspection, no beautiful growth from brokenness.”
“Renewed my faith journey. Space to be still and listen. Scripture reading. Washing of feet – so powerful. Fellowshipping. The readings chosen by Sue. Sharing. Learning. Transformative. Thank you!”
“Sue, I loved everything about the experience. It was never boring, there were plenty of breaks, access to creature comforts (blankets!), enough interaction/listening time. It was a real spiritual time of growth and deepening in such a safe environment.”
“Exceptional experience to hear the words of God so beautifully and meaningfully spoken by Sue. A weekend to remember for many years to come. Taught how even one pine needle has meaning. Learning how to “soak” in God’s love meant so much. A gem of a retreat!”
“Thank you Sue and Christa for a wonderful retreat in a wonderful venue. Thank you for following God’s plan for your lives and for being such wonderful teachers and leaders to all of the women at Northside.”
“I love how the retreat and spirit falls on you in a different way than expected. There was growth, grieving, and healing in the same moment.”
“This workshop gave me time to gather the courage to face a fear that has left me broken. This workshop allowed me the gift of being comfortable sharing my brokenness with others in a very safe way.”
“Sue, the whole experience was better than I expected. The classes were awesome as you always are. Very meaningful and inspiring.”
“This retreat has been a beneficial, reflective experience that has enabled me to understand and accept the current situation in my life. My husband is terminally ill and his death, my loss, is a low, low spot in my life. At the beginning of the retreat my feelings – anger, depression, sadness – overwhelmed me and made me unable to focus or function. Now, at the end of the retreat I feel more accepting of the impending loss and better able to cope with it. As in nature, such is the cycle of life and I hope to see this deep hole in my life as an opportunity to fill the void with positive actions.”
Through these waves of loving encouragement, I sense God forming a unique beauty from my own battered brokenness. Just like you, I am weathered but still elegant, oh, dear sisters…weather-darkened, time-softened… (Song of Solomon 1:5-6, MSG).
…Sue…
