Benefits of Retreat ...and this does not mean running away

View of Marsh at Epworth by the Sea

A retreat is one way a person can find a safe spot in which to grieve.  Finding a safe spot in which to grieve helps the griever to move to a new spot in their grief. And that is where healing occurs. Little steps. One at a time. Gaining strength after a tremendous loss.

Retreat can be something as simple as sitting quietly in your home with no distractions of phone, tv, or yes, even the people we love.  All is quiet and you have prepared yourself to be still and consider where you are exactly in your grief. But listen up, being still is NOT doing nothing. Being still and focusing on the movement of grief is actually very hard work.

You can also go away for a retreat. Churches offer one-day events. Retreat centers offer one to three day, sometimes week-long retreats. They can be simple and very affordable or resort-like and expensive. Regardless of the style or cost, the mission is the same - to offer participants the space and tools to leave the retreat in a much stronger place than upon arrival.


Epworth by the Sea

This past weekend, eighteen women gathered from all walks of like to plunge into the task of grieving the loss of a child. Epworth by the Sea www.epworthbythesea.org/  on the Georgia coast provided a peaceful, beautiful setting for the work to begin. And it was work - from telling the painful stories, to finding gratitude, looking for joy, reaching out to the community, and experiencing God's love, these women left the retreat, energized and willing to return to homes with new thoughts, new feelings, and new hopes.

These women were willing to move to a new spot. They wanted to take the first step and decide to move from the loss of a loved one to a new place without them. Never forgetting them, but leaving them to be where they are they decide to walk the rest of their life without their living presence in their life. And it is okay. And it is healthy.

Many will never allow themselves the benefit of retreat. They think it is for weaklings or those who just want to stay in their sorrow. Quite the contrary, those who bravely come, choose to say, "I want to do something with my pain and move to a new place in my life.  I may require a little more time, and have to work at it a little harder. But in working through, I will find my joy again. I will.

 Psalm 30:5 says, "Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

Have you found your joy?