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Matthew 11:28-30

Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

 The retreat at the Abbey is a good reminder of how God offers this peace and serenity to all of us. To share this time with 10 other men was a wonderful spiritual experience to see how we can share Gods Love together. A reminder of living one day at a time is all we're required to do. How we must decrease so He can increase, how we must continue to make Him the reason for our life.

 Peace and Serenity isn't the absence of conflict and turmoil in our lives. It is a state of being centered in Gods Power. The short time at the Abbey is a great reminder how important it is to spend more time in God's presence every day, How important it is to die to ourselves, To let go and let God.  All Love in Jesus

 Bob

My intention in going on the retreat was primarily to learn about another of the many arcane facets of our church, viz:  monastic life (to the extent that we would be able to observe it).  I would say that I accomplished this object.  I saw enough to destroy any illusion that such a life could ever be for me ... although I left with a great respect for those who are engaged in it.

I gained something from the retreat, however, that I did not expect.  The spring of the year, I am discovering, is a hard time for me.  May 21 is the date my 22 - year - old son died of muscular dystrophy.  The closer we get to the anniversary, the harder it becomes.  When thoughts surrounding this event begin to intrude on me at home, I consciously shove them aside.  I do this because often, remembering is still just too painful.  At home, I can do this, because I am surrounded by the artifacts of my daily life, which make it possible to get lost in activities that hold my interest.  This is a good thing, in some ways, as it avoids immediate pain.  It's a bad thing in the long run, though, (I think), because I believe it retards the normal grieving process.

At the retreat, I discovered that I had many hours by myself to think, with absolutely no intrusion other than the "white noise" of my tinnitus   (which I rarely notice at home).  My thoughts dwelt overwhelmingly on my son, his illness, final days, and death.  There was seemingly little or nothing I could do to redirect my thoughts.  Admittedly, it was painful, extremely so.  However, I came away from the experience convinced that my grieving process had taken a distinct step forward, and that I was much the better for it.  I further came away convinced that I can now think more freely about my son's death, and that the healing process will now continue at a much more healthy pace.

Did this get me closer to God?  You will have to be the judge of that.  But if gaining some inner peace is part of that process, then just maybe it did.

Gary