The very last event of the retreat was a goodbye lunch together, which was an excellent way to wind things down.  One of the most memorable farewells was from a nun who I'd never seen til that moment, who kissed my cheek and hugged me like an old friend.     It would be fair to say that my retreat experience was more of a social one than the spiritual one I had hoped for.  But it reinforces and gives tangible evidence to my original supposition that the way we get close to God is to integrate Him into our daily lives, rather than isolate ourselves or go somewhere else looking to find Him.     I'd like to do this retreat again, next time knowing exactly what it is and what it will and won't do.  Sometime I'd even like to cloister away in a monastery setting as I'd imagined, just to quiet myself.  For now I'm comfortable in the fairly new awareness that contentment is not dependent on our surroundings, but on where we are inside. .

RETREAT THOUGHTS PART 5

The church visit was nice, and was the closest thing I'd come yet.to a religious experience there, but what I knew I really had come for was some silent, private time alone with God in this beautiful place.  So on a particularly lovely day I strolled down the path that overlooks the mountains in search of a quiet park bench and time to think.  I found a nice bench amid some shady trees and within view of this mosaic cross.

I paused to appreciate the gifts of nature all around me and closed my eyes, breathing in the fresh air and getting in a meditative state.  Once I felt very rested I thanked God for this lovely setting and asked Him to let this retreat experience be everything that it could be.       When I opened my eyes a few moments later I saw Moses standing near me.  I held out my hand and he came closer.  I had heard that he sometimes appears there and approaches visitors but had no expectation of seeing him.  Moses is a cat.  The monks found this gray tabby awhile back and although he roams the grounds at will, he is very selective about the human company he keeps.  He laid on the bench next to me and rolled happily while I petted him.  When a nun came looking for him with leftover turkey from lunch I was gratified by her surprise that he took such a liking to me.        I'm allergic to cats but it doesn't keep me from enjoying them.  I would have preferred that my meditation garden experience had been more memorable, maybe even a time of revelation, but I was just as happy to give some love to this cat.  I had my ever-present black folder with me, and stayed there to work on my new song a little bit before I went back up.

Out in the gardens.  I'll guess this is also Saint Francis.

John Michael Talbot and his wife with the Pope; a picture which was hanging on a wall.