This weekend, I’ll be “retreating”. The women’s ministries department from my church has organized a mini-retreat; a scaled down version of their usual getaway. They were gracious enough to let me know that Rishayla can come with me, her Dairy Queen. I didn’t even have to ask them; they volunteered this info to me. (I wouldn’t have even thought of asking them if nursing infants were allowed). Two lovely angels offered to cover my retreat costs. That was probably another sign that I should be going. The fee was a big obstacle for me, which was knocked over without any doing on my part. The last tip was talking to a friend who was feeling impressed that I needed to be attending the event this weekend. Since I wasn’t feeling a definitely “no”, I opted to join in.
The theme: “Finding Joy in a Broken World”. Yeppers–the world is most definitely broken, busted & battered. People are cruel, greedy, selfish & self-seeking. It seems that most are out for feel-good solutions; anything that will bring instant gratification. The fact that these things are most often temporary doesn’t stop them. There are a select few that seek joy. Despite all of the circumstances in their life, they don’t let those negativities tie them down.
We’ll see what lessons are in store for me this weekend. While I don’t consider myself to be completely lacking of joy, I do realize that I’m not exactly full of joy either. I don’t ever want my attitude to be such that I can never learn from anything or anyone. So, I’m looking forward to the weekend.