This month I have the opportunity to get away for soul care for the weekend. I am so thankful for the discipline of getting away each month for 24 hours to refill my cup. But this last year it has been hard to maintain this rhythm with moving across the country, moving out of our provided housing, living mobile for 47 days (between camper, hotels and Airbnbs as we waited for our home), and now unpacking into our new home that we just bought.

I realized that I think I missed doing this retreat October and September. I did get a chance to get away in December. My sweet hubby brought our camper to our local regional park for 24 hours. I did not post on that time because I spent the whole time during an in-depth annual review. Then I did not get away for January or February because we were living mobile as a family and it did not feel right for me to say “peace out” to my husband and ditch him with the 2 dogs and 3 kids.

I was so very thankful to discover that the local Catholic retreat center was hosting a women’s weekend silent retreat at the end of March. I was delighted and surprised that they had any spots left. Sign me up for this quiet time away!!!!

We have been in our new home 2 weeks. Our very first night in the home we were hit with a vicious stomach bug and I was soooo thankful we had 3 toilets and that we were not in the camper for that experience. I have been enjoying the settling process as I unpack and build our nest. 😉

This retreat in elevated up on a hill in Redlands. The land was originally bought by a wealthy man and developed into orange groves. There is a beautiful 2-story house that was modeled after a villa he admired in Italy. The house was built in 1903 and now housing the priests. So I get lots of trees and beautiful architecture while being here.

I definitely experience wanderlust.  It represents that urge to break from everyday life and experience something new and unknown. I love to walk and explore. A favorite activity while here has been going for walks around the property. I took 4 walks today and got in lots of forest bathing (check out the book by Dr. Quig Li if unfamiliar with this). I love to walk thru historic parts of towns/cities and admire the architecture of times gone by. This desire reminds me of my paternal grandpa who was known for getting in the car and just going for a drive. My preferred transportation are my feet. I remember one time at a conference in Ohio wandering up to find the bell tower. The conference was hosted in this cool old church and I thought I am going to try to find the top of this thing so I began wandering and walking through unlocked doors. It was so delightful to me to find these doors unlocked and getting to see what felt like hidden treasures. So walking the service road through these quiet orchards felt like discovering treasure.

So for this retreat there has been opportunities to listen to teachings or go to Mass etc. I have gone to 2 of the teaching sessions but felt what my soul needed was more silence and solitude vs. more words via a teaching. I also knew I would miss the beauty of the sunset if I was sitting in the evening session.

On these retreats I try to pay attention to what I need on a soul and body level. So there has been lots of naps and walking. I also know that the more centering/contemplative prayer (basically mediation) I do, the more peace I feel. So I have tried to practice this several times too.

The priest shared this encouragement: let yourself be loved by the Holy Spirit. So I was thinking how does God want to love me this weekend and I think it is in ways that I like to be loved. God knows what I delight in. So far on this retreat here are some of the ways I felt loved by His love:

• sweet smell of orange groves
• fragrant breeze of an Australian Cheesewood tree (used my Seek up to name it)
• forest bathing among the eucalyptus and citrus trees
• frequent naps
• hot showers, uninterrupted
• food prepared for me by the Sisters – 3 meals a day plus snacks
• the calming sound of fountains
• warmth of the sun as I sit in centering prayer on this glorious spring day of 72 degrees
• purple glow on the mountains as the sun sets
• elevated 360 view of the valley from this hilltop retreat
• gorgeous architecture of this historic home
• a chance to write
• the quiet to think so that I can write
• Dove dark chocolate
• free lotion in the gift shop since I forgot mine
• this simple quaint room built in the 50s with a bed and a desk
• the freedom to go to bed as early as I need
• I have 15 more hours to rest and allow my cup to be filled

I realized that I had not published this yet. It is June and I did not take a monthly retreat in April or May but hope to at the end of this month.