Joelle had an assignment for one of her classes that required spending an hour in solitude and silence.  I thought this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take Joelle on her first ever spiritual retreat to one of my favorite places, The Hermitage.

We spent the day there yesterday. The Hermitage holds many special memories for me of times spent in solitude, silence, prayer, and rest.  At the Hermitage, I allow myself to just ‘be’ in a much deeper way. No phone, no e-mail, no interruptions.  Lots of nature, beauty, reflection, and silence.

A few weeks ago Joelle told me I needed a retreat.  She was right.  Whenever I get edgy and impatient from being in overdrive mode, it’s a sure sign that I need to step back and do some soul care.  That also was a big part of my motivation in taking the retreat yesterday.  She needed it for an assignment and I needed it for just my soul.

It was while we were eating lunch in silence with the others who were there for personal retreats that I realized how fast life has been going.  It seems that we only get perspective on our lives when we step out of the usual routines and pace.

It was Joelle’s first such retreat, an introduction into the contemplative life.  She embraced it beautifully.  I was so proud of her.  When I initially told her of my idea to take a retreat together, she balked at the idea and said, “Why can’t we just go to the mall?”  We had a good laugh about that because even though that would be her preference, deep inside she was intrigued by the idea of a retreat.

So, we each had time for silence, we read the Bible together a bit, journaled, read, walked through the woods, ate a meal in silence with the community, and overall had a very meaningful time of communion with God, and each other.

I wonder what the desert fathers would think of the fact that I took my camera along to record the memory!  Here’s what our day looked like:

We stayed in “The Hut”, a 15-minute walk deep into the woods, which is a one-room hut surrounded by nothing but nature.

The Hut was a bit chilly, so we got a nice fire going in the stove right away
The Hut has a little deck with a porch swing facing into the woods.  I took this picture of Joelle on the swing through the screened window.Many persons in search of solitude and silence  to experience communion with God have sat at this little deskYears ago I used to stay out in The Hut by myself for several days.  A simple bed, desk, heat and simple stove is all that’s needed. As I’ve become more domestic (and less brave), I stay in the main building of the Hermitage when I go overnight.  I did some journaling while on retreat, as I always doThe weather was perfect and the day absolutely beautiful

I know that I will always treasure this memory of sharing an experience with Joelle that has always been deeply meaningful to me. I hope this is the beginning of more to come.