After an embarrassing miscue on my part (they said noon, not one 'o'clock!) the ladies graciously picked me up and up to Belleville IL we went. Our retreat weekend was at the beautiful King's House Retreat & Renewal Center, a lovely place nestled in the middle of 47 acres hidden in the middle of this city. Check in was quick, our rooms found, we settled in for a bit of socializing with dinner before the call for silence was announced. Imagine approximately 50 women altogether without talking. At all. Amazing really. It was the beginning of the kind of centering of ourselves, in the quiet you became aware of so many things around you.
This weekend was filled with a lot of things. Meals, such very good meals, prayers, heartfelt and really special prayers. Time to walk, the surrounding grounds were beautiful, there along the trails was the Stations of the Cross to ponder Jesus' final hours on earth. The winds on Saturday certainly kept you aware of the powers of Heaven all around you as they blew through the trees. Saturday evening Mass was made special with the Anointing of the Sick for any who felt they needed this blessing. Amazingly every single one of us stood up for this anointing. As day turned to night, settling in for the end of our day opened up time just to focus on yourself. Don't really do that enough.
In a blink of an eye, it was Sunday. The day brought beautiful sunshine, another Mass to be shared with all of our new friends. And finally talking. Oh how wonderful it was. I missed it a lot. Another wonderful meal and then it was time to pack up and head back home. Back to family. Back to our real world. I certainly hope that I can hold on to all that I gained, all that I learned from this special time. It was truly a Bridge of Mercy.
