It is an incredible effort to get to Laity Lodge. It’s way out in the middle of nowhere, down a cliff, through a river. Whew! And that doesn’t even touch the preparation of finding someone to watch the kids and packing and rescheduling everything just to get away for a couple of days. Can it possibly be worth all this trouble?
But oh, the next morning, when you wake up to quiet, and someone feeds you a delicious breakfast, and someone else offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Mmm, Mmm, good!
As the retreat goes on, you settle in. Linger at meals. Absentmindedly walk around the grounds. Grab a book or a nap. Take a hike or a swim. Create something beautiful. Or do nothing. Maybe for the first time since you grew up.
When it’s time to go, you feel anxious. How can I ever go back? How can I face my responsibilities? And yet, after that church service, watching the canyon wrens do circles around Battleship, you’re ready. You eat your egg casserole a little more quickly, wrap up some poppy seed bread for the long road trip, and you’re good to go, knowing that you can come back, maybe even next year.
That’s Sabbath, too. So hard to get there. So wonderful during. So hard to leave. And yet you do leave, knowing you get to come back in only six more days.
