A Much Needed Reset // Fall Retreat 2020

I'd been looking forward to this weekend since last year when retreat ended. When things were shutting down and getting cancelled back in the spring, I was sure retreat was not going to happen and I was very disappointed. Imagine my excitement when I found out they were going ahead with it!!!

I really needed the break and the weekend was different and better than I could have planned or imagined :)

Last year was my first time and I had no expectations as a result. Going back for a second year, I had some expectations but I was trying to go into it with loose hopes because I knew covid would make it significantly different. Honestly, the biggest difference was the beach!! The water level in Lake Michigan is so much higher that the beach is much smaller.

God's hand was all over this weekend. From providing beautiful weather to rides there and back to great roommates, He worked everything out. A friend who wasn't supposed to come was there Saturday morning! The screen for lyrics wouldn't work for the first two sessions and then it did. Over and over, God provided for us this weekend.

Being on the beach is so peaceful to me. I think it is the most peaceful place in the world. The sound of waves crashing and wind blowing is a balm to my soul. Speaking of soul, our theme was all about untethering our souls. What things or people are keeping us tied down? Do we ever sit and let our souls rest?

If you had asked me before retreat, I would have said that I have a good rhythm for rest. I am an introvert and I know that to be my best self, I need alone time to mentally and emotionally recharge. I try to schedule margin and down time in my life. But I realized that in that "rest", I'm still doing things. Reading, watching a movie, doing computer work, or something like that. It's not soul rest.

I've said that I really needed retreat and that's because I was feeling overwhelmed and dealing with a lot in the weeks before hand. My soul needed rest, but I didn't know that's what I needed. Now I know better and can make time to ensure my soul can rest. God also brought something to my attention that was out of left field and not on my radar at all, but dealing with it lifted a weight I didn't know I had and left me feeling free and lighter somehow. It sounds weird, I know, but it was amazing and I am so, so grateful!!

The days were sunny, the nights were clear and I could see so many stars, and the sunset on Saturday night was perfection. I got to watch the sun go down over the lake, listening to waves, and sitting on a porch swing holding my friend's baby. It was pretty much paradise! Here are a few iPhone photos I took. The light Saturday night was breathtakingly beautiful; all soft and golden.