A few weeks ago I had an amazing ladies getaway weekend with a couple of other ladies from our school community. This entire retreat was put on by our school CPO (CHESS Parent Organization) and it was open to any women in the school community. I was a little hesitant at first to attend, because sometimes I feel like I have to “hold the line” between being a parent and also being a professional staff member/teacher. It’s always a delicate balance when attending a small Christian school/community, and one that I have for sure not figured out. But for this particular retreat there were parents, there were members from the administration team, and there were teachers. And there were some who fit in all three roles.
Let me tell you what…when we have Christ in common, and a common love of training and educating our children in the best way we can figure out how…then we have community. And fun. Lots and lots of fun.
We got to stay at the beautiful Stone Haven on the lake, which was a historic (updated) farmhouse along with a newer lakehouse with acres of land, a lake, a pool, hiking paths and the most peaceful atmosphere I have been at in a long time! Both homes are set up to accommodate lots of people, with double beds and bunk beds in nearly every room. I got to stay in the lake house, and it was BEAUTIFUL. I mean….look at those windows!!!
I honestly didn’t know any of the other ladies SUPER well. I taught several of their kids and I worked with many of them, but this was such a great chance to sit down and connect and chat and get to know one another more. There was SO MUCH laughter and some games, but mostly there was nothing on the agenda and it was exactly what we needed.
One of the cool things for me about this retreat was how I had signed up and then last minute realized that it just wasn’t going to work out for me. This was happening in the midst of our crazy house renovation move and Theo had to work both Monday and Tuesday during the retreat. I knew that it was too much to ask a teen to watch my kids overnight and a whole day, so I had to make the hard choice to not go on the retreat. That same day that I made the choice, I had to take Tera to school for a test. When I walked into the building, there was Tara (the head honcho of CHESS). She excitedly asked me if I was ready for the retreat and I explained that I wasn’t going to be able to go. Her face fell and she listened as I explained my childcare predicament and worked through some of those feelings out loud. I left for a few hours and came back to pick up (little) Tera and Tara (adult) had called around the community Moms and found someone for me who was willing to watch my kids ALL DAY on Monday so I could be at the retreat. WHAT? I mean….WHAT? There is no way I even had the mental energy to think about finding someone and there the work had just been done for me. I am so humbled and grateful.
We arrived Sunday evening and the relaxing/retreating began!
Our after dinner hike was a little bit muddy….
We had a lovely devotional time and my eyes were getting heavy as I hit that 9:30-10:00 mark. I thought for sure I was going to crash and wake up early the next morning. But, nope! We stayed up until 1am talking and laughing. I knew I would be tired the next morning, but I was SHOCKED when I woke up and my roommate told me it was 9:00!! I don’t think I’ve slept until 9:00 in YEARS.
It was a gorgeous day and after a hearty breakfast, we were eager to take the kayaks out on the lake. I think kayaking around the lake was probably my favorite part of the entire retreat. It was so calm and relaxing and the company was wonderful, too. It’s amazing how conversations held out in nature just sometimes feel so much more special, more sacred. Like the trees themselves are leaning in to listen. We didn’t solve any world problems or anything, but we did have some good conversations sharing our hearts and our passions both within and beyond the walls of our little school.
The rest of the day was spent poolside and relaxing indoors. I did NOTHING, and that was exactly what I needed. We did some community building games and had Monday night dinner before I needed to leave early to head back to my family.
We all have many differences, and before this retreat I may have been tempted to think primarily of the differences. We are all different ages, have our kids through different means, some are grandparents, some still have toddlers. We attend different denominations and struggle with different types of sins (and many of the same). But I’m so thankful for the time that we were able to spend together learning of our similarities and how much we can be praying for and encouraging one another in the Lord. I sure hope that this retreat becomes an annual tradition!
