This weekend, I had the blessing to travel with Susan Sophia and Helen and attend a wonderful women’s retreat in Oregon with Mother Raphaela from Holy Myrrhbearer’s Monastery in New York. On Friday night after a fantastic lunch at Christina’s house, and the first part of the talk, we had a Blogger get-together with vegan brownies, great conversation, and baby noises from the roly-poly Doozy (at whose house I spent the night, thank you to her parents!)

From L-R Xenia Katie, Christina, Carrie, Susan, and Helen.

Susan has done a fantastic job of transcribing some of her notes, but there were two things that Mother Rapaela said that I was most struck by. Firstly, that we are the first generation to really not have a familiarity with silence, and as Susan noted, she said that her mom once asked her “what are you afraid of without the noise of the music” - on Friday night, we had a fifteen minute silent period, and I really concentrated on how to use and learn from silence and how to deal with the thoughts that flit through your head while you are being silent. Clearly, I need to spend more time working on this, but I am resolving to actively seek silence in my life.

The other thing that she kept reiterating that I, as the mom of a teenager and a nearly teenager, needed to hear is that I am not responsible for anyone other than myself at the dread judgment seat of Christ. That does not mean that I can merrily skip along in my life without worrying about my children, my husband or other members of my family, but that I have to really concentrate on praying for my children, and for giving them to God. Lord have Mercy.

On Saturday, after another fantastic talk, I got my photo taken with the lovely Kristin, who I was blessed to sit with at the fantastic lunch.

It was great to see everyone, and to be treated to such wonderful hospitality. As neither Susan nor Helen are hard of smelling, I appreciate their good sportsmanship about riding in my stinky car, and I am putting those in my parish on notice that next year, I’m coordinating a group of us to go down to the retreat.