choir retreat

When your weekend starts with singing and dancing in the car all the way to Whistler, you know it's going to be a good weekend! I think I may have shocked my friend Shelle when I started belting out the songs on our road trip playlist. When I added some dancing, I'm not sure that she recognized me anymore, lol. But, she adjusted and joined right in. We were the first to arrive at Whistler and settled into our suite, chilling out, drinking tea and listening to music. When the others arrived, I'm pretty sure they didn't expect to be greeted by blaring All About That Bass, but they didn't seem to mind either...in fact, Dee showed me her moves to the song the next day, lol.
It was such a perfect weekend that my heart is STILL full and it's been almost two weeks. It's hard for me to let people in. I can be very quiet and reserved and stand offish. Even when I am friendly, there are very few people that get to see the real me...the one without makeup, the one who just got outta bed and is still in pajamas, the one who dances around, the one who is so competitive she calls people "sucker" (sorry Dee). But that weekend I was free, and unencumbered and happy. It can't last of course; the walls are firmly back in place, lol. But it was nice to be real and to hang around with people who get me.
Shelle and I even went into the hot tub (gasp). I hate being seen in a swimsuit, but we had decided to do it and I'm glad we did. Originally, I had hoped that no one else would be there. That we could just chill without having to talk or be seen, lol. My wish came true on Friday night. On Saturday night, however, there were lots of people at the pools and we socialized A LOT and who knew, we loved it?? I even changed my mind about some people who I had unfairly decided that I didn't like. It's funny who turns out to be a great person when you actually get to know them (why have I still not learned this lesson?).
My suitemates were the best. We played games, we ate, we watched baseball (what?), we laughed, we snored (lol). My roommate was Dee, one of my favourite people! It's so interesting who God puts into your life and how unexpected and wonderful the friendships that form can be. I did not join the choir expecting to make any "real" friends. Anyway, we had some nice early morning conversations, we went for a walk, we sang, and she made me coffee! Anyone who makes me good coffee in the morning pretty well has my undying devotion, lol, but I already loved her before that.
I was sad when the weekend came to an end and we had to head back home. However, I did feel that for once I was able to stay in the moment and enjoy the weekend for all its worth. I often find that after a vacation or retreat or whatever, I regret not enjoying it fully. But that weekend was different. I loved every minute, while being fully present in every moment. Well, except maybe the baseball...lol

PS. The photo below is from my walk with Dee. I look awful, but in the spirit of authenticity, I'm posting it anyway :)

Maureen

You never know where you'll meet a new friend or which friend will turn out to be a forever friend.
I met Maureen when I was 19. She was the head of HR at Eaton's and I was in my first year at Kwantlen, starting a new job at Eaton's part time. I was a little intimidated by her, but she seemed nice enough. When I noticed a Chuck Swindoll quote on the wall of her office, I realized that she might be a Christian. I asked her about it and as it turned out, she was (is). That knowledge created an immediate bond like no other. We were friendly when I worked at Eaton's, but she was in management and I was just a student. We would talk sometimes and I remember calling her when my youngest brother was hospitalized. She promised to pray for him, although I think she was quite surprised that I phoned her. (He recovered). Over my 7 years at Eaton's we had many opportunities to chat and get to know each other. I used to write her notes in class when I was super bored and leave them in her mail box. I remember us bonding over the death of Princess Diana and both showing up to work wearing black. She would tell me about her grandson Tyler and I would tell her about school and my family and eventually Pentti.
In 1999, Eaton's was closing and Pentti and I got married. Maureen and her husband Bob were at our wedding and Maureen gave a speech about our special friendship. She also revealed that she felt like she knew everyone because of my letters...lol. After Eaton's closed, we kept in contact, mostly through email. Our birthdays are 3 days apart, so we would often meet or at least email in the summer. We actually lost touch for a few years, with her working and my going into education and starting my teaching career. But, we reconnected again when I was home with both boys. We had lunch, we sometimes invited Pat (my former manager) and we emailed. I'm not sure when things changed, but as the years went by, we got closer instead of growing apart. In fact, Maureen has become one of my dearest friends. We've been meeting for coffee or lunch a little more frequently and there never seems to be a shortage of things to talk about. We talk about God, but also about shopping and the royals and books and pretty well whatever topic comes to mind. I always leave our coffee dates feeling grateful and refreshed and a little bit surprised that a few hours just flew by unnoticed, again. A sweet friendship really does refresh the soul (Proverbs 27:9).

Christ City Women's Retreat

It has been three years since we joined Christ City and I find it's still hard to get to know new people in the quick conversations before and after church. Yes, I greet a lot of people on Sundays and in a lot of cases I even know their names. But, I don't feel like I actually KNOW them. I teach Sunday school, so I get to know which parents go with which kids, and I get to chat with whoever is serving with me on a particular Sunday. But it still doesn't come naturally and since I am an introvert, my dislike for small talk doesn't help either.
Anyway, the amazing thing is that I still feel at home at Christ City. I love it and I feel like it's exactly where we belong as a family. But in my effort to get to know people, I attended our women's retreat a couple weeks ago. I'm not going to lie, I was a little sorry that I had signed up when the actual day came around to leave for retreat. But, I had already paid and I truly believe in getting out of my comfort zone, so I made myself go. And of course it was wonderful! Just like two years ago, when I also forced myself to go. Do I never learn?
I drove up to Squamish and roomed with Julie. Julie is an introvert and a brilliant musician and a really knowledgeable, well-rounded person. I loved hanging around with her because we had some great conversations and she is so deep in her thinking. Interestingly, we both had similar things on our hearts and we were able to share and encourage each other. I learned a lot from her even in just three days.
I also got to know some ladies who I had not known previously at all. Since there are three gatherings at Christ City, it is possible to never see some of the people that attend my own church. This is unfortunate, but just the way it is. Anyway, I signed up for a hike on Saturday afternoon with 13 other ladies. It was such a great time of being outside, walking, talking and casually getting to know new people. The great thing about being outdoors is that I find that even extroverts don't mind silence in the woods, lol. Plus, there's always something to talk about if you want to talk, because the beauty all around provides endless fodder for discussion. Anyway, I got to know Julie (another one) and Ruth on that walk and I'm so glad I did!
Of course the retreat also included meals together and worship and games and teaching, but what I really took away from it all was the lovely people that I got to meet and know. It's always great when you get to know the people from your church and you find that you love your church even more as a result!!