Thursday 28 May

Today saw me experimenting with an online retreat offering. There has been a lot of talk about the way that the pandemic, and resulting lockdown, has opened up the opportunity for people to enjoy a less hurried, more spacious time of connecting with God and with their own hearts. That got me thinking - because so often we can have good intentions about laying aside our responsibilities and distractions, but it's actually very hard to do without a little bit of structure. Somehow it seemed important to offer a kind of 'container' to some retreat time at home. I knew that would help me, and I thought it might help others too.

So I found myself writing this article, suggesting some ways that people might enter into a time of withdrawal, refreshing and recalibration. And then I got on the Zoom bandwagon and offered a morning and afternoon connection time, for those who might find it helpful to bookend their individual time with some group process and connection.

I have my reservations about the limitations of online connection when it comes to facilitating these interpersonal moments of reflection. There is a very special quality - that is hard to articulate - when a few people gather with the purpose of being honest about their lives and inviting God into that reality. I have come to love the unmistakable moment when the conversation sinks to a deeper level of awareness and authenticity. And this happens, not just because of the words that are spoken, but thanks to the atmosphere, body language, and a shared experience of the presence of God. While I am grateful for the capacity to connect online with those in other locations, I would never want to substitute all of our flesh and blood connections with the two-dimensional experience of Zoom!

So, you can tell that these retreat bookends were experimental. And, on balance, I felt it was very much worthwhile. As I said, not as a substitute for a group retreat in person, but certainly as a support to individual times of reflection at home. It helps to have a clear way to mark the beginning and end of retreat time, as well as having some idea of ways to enter into the process. I think closing by having a space to share some of the things that seemed important during the day really helps to cement those things in your own heart. And of course, never underestimate the power of a good question!

In between the 'bookends' I was not on retreat myself, but helping Keziah complete her application form for the course in medical herbalism. That has now been sent off, which feels like a very good step forward. In other news, Tim was revamping an elderly table with a couple of coats of chalk paint. I think it's worked well and now, needless to say, I can see many other pieces of furniture that would benefit from a little transformation. There's never any shortage of things for Tim to do, that's for sure (would hate for him to be bored!).

I'm extremely excited to be going for a haircut tomorrow! Not quite sure how my hairdresser will navigate a wash, cut and blow dry around my face mask, but you live and learn, right?!