Now this is what I was really doing at Villa Riehl during the Easter holidays.
It was the Easter HARP youth workshop. Those who were there were a little disappointed that there were so few participants. But every one of them was glad they came and we had a great time. I already published my blog months ago about my wonderful retreat at Villa Riehl. Now as I prepare my reflection of 2010, I’m inspired to share my “other” thoughts.
Every single person here is so precious.
We may mourn the ones that are gone, we may miss the ones who didn’t come, we may regret not having called around and invested more in communication to inspire others to come too.
God is in tears of joy for every single one that is here. We are like yeast in the dough – we can multiply the goodness.
To nurture the tender buds, to fertilize the growing plants, to feel the warmth of the spring sun, to quench the dry soil.
To be the stream of light and warmth and hope. To see the potential in each one.
To give praise where praise is due
To flow with the tide
To rejoice in the vision
To acknowledge our victories
To learn from our failures
To encourage each other
To express God’s love.
How do I experience God through my children? This was the question Peter asked me to reflect on in my presentation to the group.
My first shock was that children cannot be programmed. They have a mind of their own and free will. You can make all the plans you like and fantacize about an ideal, a dream, a vision, but then you are quickly brought back to a startlingly painful reality.
To forgive the mistakes of the past
To provide an environment of trust and security.
These were my musings at Easter time in 2010.