Retreat Into Calmness

Last weekend, I had the chance to attend a spiritual retreat near Saugatuck, Michigan. The retreat house has bunk beds in several rooms and showers and bathrooms upstairs and a kitchen, dining room, TV room and large living room with a fireplace downstairs. One of the best parts is a screened in porch that runs the length of the living room. But, he number one favorites of this place are the view of Lake Michigan and beach access.

Water has always been a calming influence on me. I love to watch the water and sky and connect with nature. It just so happens that my sun sign is a Scorpio, a water sign. During the retreat, I had a chance to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new people. It was a time to reflect on and share my life's journey and learn from others. Also, there were several chances to walk along the beach, meditate and listen to my inner voice.

This year, a woman on the planning committee put together a goodie bag filled with an empty notebook, colored pencils, scissors, a ruler, glue and scrap paper. She read a book titled "The North Star", which might be considered a children's book, except the message is appropriate for all ages. At times, we expect to follow a certain path only to find detours along the way with lessons to be learned and new opportunities to experience.

I believe that if I follow a detour, it is God's way of pushing me into a certain direction that gives me an opportunity to grow. At times, it might not be a pleasant experience, but growing pains build character, strength and courage that I might not know I had.

In Michigan, my lesson was that it's OK to connect with the inner child and play. In fact, it's important to be creative by coloring, blowing bubbles, laughing, singing or whatever you choose. To me, it's almost as important as taking the time to stop and pray or have a little chat with God and listen. Because, it's in the silence that we learn, when we take the time to stop and listen.

I've noticed that what I need to learn comes from many sources. It can be in a TV show that I'm watching, a book that I'm reading or in words of wisdom shared in a conversation. In that respect, I consider that we are all messengers, if you will. We are all human beings with different awareness, knowledge levels and experiences.

If you have already experienced a certain situation and talk to me about it, I can learn about the experience and vice versa. For example, if you have a cat who is suddenly hiding in closets and acting less friendly, I would tell you to take him/her to the vet for an exam because the cat may have an infection or other illness. I've already experienced this and discovered that one cat had Feline Infectious Peritonitus, a fatal disease. The good thing was that I was sick with bronchitis when her health was failing, and I was given the opportunity to be with her and make her comfortable in what would turn out to be her last days as part of our family. I'm very grateful for this opportunity. I miss her a lot and dream about her often and in my dreams, she's still as loving and playful as she was before she got sick.

Another tidbit that I picked up is that I can recapture the calmness and happiness I felt in Michigan at any time, wherever I am. All I have to do is stop and reflect.

In our busy lives, sometimes we forget to take moments to simply breathe, be calm and feel joy. I advocate doing it more often — what do you think?

Your comments are welcome at "

© 2007 Linda Blatchford