Retreat Ramblings

The long-awaited SACC-Grove womens retreat is over, leaving behind great memories and sore stomach muscles from so much laughing. Someone there said that for each minute of laughter, a person's immune system is boosted for 72 hours. (That's three days for the math-challenged.) If that's true, then my immune system should be boosted for the next several weeks!

This was the first joint retreat since about a hundred SACC people left us in the fall to start a sister church called the Grove in North Albany. It was like a family reunion, getting together with all the women we used to see at church every Sunday morning, and meeting lots of new family members who have come to the new church. I am blessed to be on the planning committee, so I have enjoyed seeing some of these awesome women regularly over the past few months as we planned this fabulous weekend.

For the past 12 years I have enjoyed being the MC. I feel like I am selfishly hoarding the best job. Every year I tell them I will be happy to let someone have the chance to do it, but they keep asking me back. Being on the committee all those years, I have been so blessed to work with and get to know so many different talented women who use their gifts in amazing ways! At each retreat, I meet more women, some of whom I have seen at church and some who I haven't. Retreat provides opportunities to sit at meals and visit with old friends and new, to play games together, to hear testimonies from several women each year, to witness their dramatic and musical talents, and to laugh and pray together.

It also gives us opportunities to express our dramatic talents or lack thereof. This year our theme was "Fashioned by God's Great Design" and our theme verse Psalm 139:15b-16:"...When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

This opened the door for skits dealing with fashion, such as "The Bronx Beat with Betty and Jody" having a famous fashion model as a guest. I was so inspired by her fabulous make-up and hair that I gave myself a little make-over just before the evening session.
At least that's what I told the gals there. Truthfully, I was to appear in the fashion show just following the opening and had no time to get made up. Barely enough time to get into my stunning outfit before it was time to strut down the runway.

I appeared in an A-line skirt with a wool vest that I made myself. It had a sheep tail down the back and ears on the shoulders.

My next outfit was a jacket with padded shoulders and a pin stripe down the front. My jeans were accented with a little piping.

My fellow fashion models appeared in outfits that included a pencil skirt and a brief case,

a pillbox hat
and many other literally astonishing creations. I'd love to post more pictures of their outfits, but since they may not be as unashamedly brazen as I am, I will restrain myself. Such fun!

Saturday morning I was unprepared for the love offering we give our speaker, so I ran to my room while the worship team was singing. I was going to use the facilities since I was there anyway, but I noticed a horrible huge cockroach on the back of the toilet in the nick of time. My shriek did not bring any help, so I scurried back to the meeting room. I was up next to close the morning session, so I informed the ladies of what I had just observed, adding that I sincerely hoped it was a practical joke but I needed someone unafraid of insects to accompany me to my room to determine whether or not it was real. I had many willing helpers and they determined it was a fake. But no one touched it. After they left, my fearless roommate wanted to be sure, so she boldly attacked it with her tube of toothpaste. Chop chop chop. Wish I had that on video!!

"Cockroaches" were then found in many rooms, as well as bright frogs and snakes in showers. The instigator has never fessed up. I did enjoy the fact that I ruined the shock of it by announcing it before anyone went back to their rooms! Also, some of the older women (like Lynn and Roberta) might have had heart attacks if they hadn't been forewarned of such fearsome creatures! So they owe me!

They were everywhere, so that evening I put a couple in my pocket to take home and use for my own entertainment. Unfortunately, late that night when I was heading back to my room with a couple of people, I absent-mindedly stuck my hand in my pocket and screamed when I pulled out two cockroaches, crazily throwing them, leading to a long bout of hysterical laughter with me and three other women. I just wonder of any of them were the provocateur of the original prank....I suspect possibly.....

There are many reasons I have never missed a retreat in the past 14 years. The privilege of becoming acquainted, deepening friendships, and having fun with so many awesome women is one. The other is that I always learn and apply some spiritual truth, sometimes from the speaker, sometimes from other women, which changes my life forever. I am truly blessed.