by Jacci Turner
Amy jumped to her feet, still unsure of what she’d say. “I’m the one who told you her friend raised money for her to come here.” People smiled, remembering. “I really had no clue why I was here. But I met the most amazing people and learned so much—I can’t even tell you. I just want to say thank you, everyone!”
She dropped her lanyard and sat down.
The last person to go was the woman that drove her here—Amani, the woman Amy had worried about all week. Amani said with a shake in her voice, “Thank you all for having me here. I needed this time away so much. I needed to rest and recover from a very difficult year. My father died this year and it has broken my heart. Thank you for letting me come and attend the sessions only when I wanted to. I slept a lot!” People laughed at this. “But that was what I needed, and I loved coloring with the new friends I made. Thank you.”
Amy smiled. Yep, she needed to trust God. He was able to take good care of Amani even without her interference! She shook her head. She had to learn to let people make their own decisions and trust that they would ask for help if they needed it. If she could learn to live like that … it would be a relief.
Tom and Felicia stood, holding out their hands to encompass the group. Tom started a blessing. “May the Lord bless and keep you.”
Felicia took over. “May the Lord’s face shine upon you.”
“And be gracious to you,” said Tom.
“May the Lord’s countenance be lifted toward you,” said Felicia.
“And give you peace,” said Tom.
Everyone clapped and started hugging their good-byes. Amy knew she had to hurry. After quickly hugging her girls, she ran to grab a sack lunch from the cafeteria and ran down to her room to get her bag. When she came back to the front desk, she turned in her room key. Where was Amani? She was her driver and they were cutting it close to get her to the airport on time.
She stood, fidgeting in the doorway, wondering if she should go search for Amani. She’d reminded her at breakfast that they needed to leave quickly after the meeting. She’d even said good-bye to Tom and Felicia so she wouldn’t be late. Where was Amani?
“Amy,” a voice said behind her. She turned to find Stephen. “I was hoping to catch you. I was serious about the game.”
Amy felt confused. “The game?”
“The 49er game. I have season tickets. Would you like to come down and go to a game with me sometime?”
“Oh!” Amy said, feeling like her heart had just dropped onto the floor. “That would be great.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll look you up on Facebook, okay?”
“Amy!” said a high-pitched voice behind him. “I’m sorry—I got to talking and I’m sorry. I’m ready to take you.”
Relief washed over Amy. Amani was here, and maybe they would make her flight. “Great!” She said to Stephen, “Sorry, gotta go!” She grabbed her bag and followed Amani out the door to her car. She got to practice her new breath prayer all the way to the airport as Amani screeched through the cornfield-lined roads to get her to the Omaha airport, keeping up a running monologue about her time at the retreat center, which helped Amy not panic.
She jumped from the car when they got to the airport, grabbed her bag from the back seat, and gave Amani a quick hug, then ran for the security line, thankful that she’d downloaded her ticket. “Precious Amy, trust me,” she breathed and realized that she did. She did trust God. If she missed her plane, he’d take care of her. It wouldn’t be the end of the world.
She was standing with her hands over her head, being x-rayed, when she heard her name being called over the loud speaker, and slipping on her shoes, she ran through the airport to the gate. She was the last person on the flight.
She exhaled loudly as she slid into her assigned seat. What a relief she’d made it! The two people next to her looked a little miffed. Probably hoping I wouldn’t show so they could spread out.
Once she got settled, she pulled out her notebook and rooted around until she found a pen. On her list of thirty things to do before she turns thirty, she added number thirteen: go to a 49er game with Stephen. She couldn’t wait to share the list with Joshua. He’d have some great ideas to add too.
Then she clasped the list to her chest, took a deep breath, flipped the page over, and began to write.
Dear Jennie,
Thank you so much for orchestrating my time at this retreat center. I guess you knew I needed it. You’re not going to believe the week I’ve had—or maybe you will.
The End
Resources
Most of the resources listed here are from Gravity: A Center for Contemplative Activism and used with permission from Chris and Phileena Heuertz. For more resources, see their website at www.gravitycenter.com.
The Examen
This is one version of the five-step daily examen that St. Ignatius developed.
Acknowledge an awareness of the Divine.
Review the day in a posture of gratitude.
Recognize a “consolation” and a “desolation” from the day.
Choose a “desolation” to pray into.
Look with hope for a new tomorrow.
Lectio Divina
Let yourself grow aware and present. Acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Read the sacred text.
Listen for a word or phrase being spoken to you.
Share your heart-felt response to God.
Rest in your experience with the sacred text with a grateful heart.
The Enneagram
I would recommend taking a class on the Enneagram, as taking an online test is not really that helpful. Also, there are many wonderful books on the Enneagram (reading one with a small group would be especially enlightening), but one particularly clear, easy-to-understand publication on this topic is The Essential Enneagram: The Definitive Personality Test and Self-Discovery Guide, revised and updated by David Daniels and Virginia Price.
Centering Prayer
Sit in an upright, attentive posture in a way that allows for an erect spine and open heart. Place your hands in your lap.
Gently close your eyes and bring to mind your sacred word, image, or breath as your symbol to consent to the presence and action of God within you. Your sacred symbol is intended to be the same every time you pray. It helps to ground you in the present moment, allowing you to give your undivided loving, yielded attention to God. Choose a name for God or a characteristic for God, like Love, Peace, et cetera.
As you notice your thoughts, gently return to your sacred word. Do this however many times you notice your thoughts.
When your prayer period is over, transition slowly from your prayer practice to your active life.
It is recommended to pray in this fashion for a minimum of twenty minutes, two times a day. Start out slowly with initial prayer periods of five to ten minutes, working up to the desired length of time.
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the cross can be found in many places and most Catholic churches. For a prayer of the stations, try the one provided at Catholic Online: www.catholic.org/prayers/station.php.
Icons
For a helpful guide to praying icons, I recommend The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer by Frederica Mathewes-Green.
Praying the Labyrinth
I’ve stumbled onto labyrinths in many unusual places. They are often at spiritual retreat centers, and some churches have them on the grounds or use portable labyrinths. I found one in the middle of the desert near my home and one under a freeway overpass. You can Google “labyrinths near me” and hopefully find one to access. There are many ways to pray a labyrinth, so be creative and enjoy a walk with God.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is an ancient practice whereby a seeker meets with one who is seasoned in the spiritual journey for reflection, support, and guidance. This practice is common for monastic life but has been brought into focus for average laypeople in recent years. Spiritu
al direction training and certification is now widely accessible.
For more information on spiritual directors, look at the Spiritual Directors International website: www.sdiworld.org. There are many wonderful training programs to become a spiritual director as well. A good basic book on understanding spiritual direction is Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction by Margaret Guenther.
Acknowledgments
It takes a village to write a book, or at least to get one published. I want to thank the “village” of HarperLegend, and especially the fabulous Anna Paustenbach, my editor, whose love and enthusiasm for the book made editing a pleasure. Thank you to Kristin Roth for putting up with my commas and making the book so clean!
I also want to thank my beta readers for their thoughtful and articulate critiques: Stephanie Wilden, Steve Hedrick, Kristen Mcdonie, Liz Olsen, and Chris and Phileena Heuertz. If you’re familiar with the Gravity Center, you’ll know that this book is loosely based on one of the grounding retreats that Chris and Phileena lead (the link to their website is in the resources section). Those retreats are life changing and I encourage you all to attend one, but please know that they are not usually a week long and a few of the spiritual practices listed here are not taught during the weekend gravity retreats.
To Lois Larson, who decided I needed a publisher, then prayed one into my life. Thank you.
As always I want to thank my husband, David, who is my biggest fan; my family for always believing in me; and my dog, Rocky, for getting me out of the house.
Books would be nothing without readers, and I’d love to hear from you through my website or on any of the major social media outlets. Let’s share this spiritual journey together.
Jacci
About the Author
JACCI TURNER is an Amazon bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fiction, including Bending Willow, which was chosen to represent Nevada at the National Book Festival. She is the former educational director for the High Sierra Writers group and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Jacci has thirty years’ experience as a campus minister, helps train Spiritual directors for Christian Formation &Direction Ministries, and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Visit her at www.jacciturner.com.
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
the retreat. Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline LaRue Turner. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Digital Edition MARCH 2017 ISBN: 9780062672322
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