An insight offered while at Cedar Cross
| While meandering recently along the trails at Cedar Cross Retreat Center, I was drawn to a sign pointing to Spirit Pond. The attraction was no surprise, as I am naturally lured to water however and wherever it might appear. Following the arrow, I headed toward the pond but came to a stop just a few yards short of the water. There to my left was something that told me right away the pond sign had been only a teaser to lead me to this something. It was a tree, partially uprooted and leaning, but still showing signs of life. The catcher was that almost 10 years prior to that very day, I had encountered a similar image in a photograph. I can pinpoint the date because it coincided with a troubled time in my life which had prompted me to register for a directed group retreat. At the beginning of the retreat experience, the leader had invited us to peruse a collection of photographs and select one that demonstrated our reality in that moment. When I came upon the photo of the fragile tree, there was instant connection to the state of my life. With some roots securely planted and others exposed and raw from life events, I saw myself as the tree, leaning and in danger of falling. It was a defining but frightening, heavy image for me. The retreat experience had been a turning point and had set me on a track toward new life, a deeper spiritual journey of accepting and responding to reality and coming to know both myself and God more truly. The journey has continued in a profoundly transformative way. So it is that when I encountered the tree at Cedar Cross, the connection to the image was immediate but the identification was drastically different. There was the realization that being uprooted can be a positive and sometimes necessary experience, that roots exposed have been set free for new winds and ways, and that a vulnerable posture of leaning defines perhaps more accurately our status as mortals. It was as if I had encountered an old friend that had walked with me for 10 years and had participated in a miraculous process. Far from frightening, the tree depicted freedom and joy. An image in nature that catches our attention is an invitation to pause and reflect. As we are able to be present and open, we often find that the image will reveal something more of ourselves and lead us beyond ourselves. — Mary Catherine Harris |
“Thank you so much for opening your house to us. Your love of these woods, and God, comes through on every trail.
from a recent retreatant
Join us for A Guided Day Apart on Tuesday, Feb. 18
| Once a month, we provide a guided opportunity for folks to devote time in nature for rest, reflection, and renewal. The gathering for February is next Tuesday, the 18th. You are welcome to come as an individual, or you can bring a friend or several friends. We’ll gather at 9:30 a.m. in the Lodge’s Community Room. We’ll begin with silence, introduce quotes of a spiritual writer, and then have quiet time to find a favorite chair or walk the trails. We’ll also have time to share our reflections, if we choose to do so. We conclude at 3 p.m. with Communion. Margaret Hilpert is leading this session. The writer whose work we’ll use is Wendell Berry. If you would like to participate, please contact us. The suggested donation is $20. Please bring a lunch. Drinks will be provided. A Guided Day Apart is typically, but not always, on the second Tuesday of the month. The gathering for next month is March 10th. |
Volunteers are invited to join with us at the next Community Day on Feb. 28-29. Please contact us for more information.
The Way of Jesus – Being Reborn (station # 14)
“Lo, I am with you always” is a promise of Jesus. What might it mean for you to lean into that promise? What losses have you been able to mourn and let go? Where are you finding new sources of life and blessing?
(The Way of Jesus is 14 stations in the woods just north of the Lodge at Cedar Cross. Retreatants are given questions for reflection at each station.)
Jimmy Allen
Ginger Allen