Rest & retreat

A friend held an envelope that I assumed was last night’s dinner invitation.  “Oh, I see you brought your official invite.”  She opened the envelope to show that actually it was information on the women’s retreat.  I’d never attended a retreat here, so my sweet friend enlightened me a bit.  In the meantime, two more girls joined our dinner table and tossed in their two cents, and amongst their reflections on retreat, my heart seemed to lighten, though I wasn't aware it had felt heavy.  What’s noteworthy here is not that I entertained a new thought but rather that I felt something lifting in me in the process.  The purpose of our dinner was to appreciate those who volunteer.  Sunday mornings for my husband and me are full, yet we are blessed to give our time.  Still in the moments of this unexpected retreat discussion, the Lord put me on the receiving end with a reminder to just enjoy the company, to take a break from preparing music and trying to speak Spanish, and simply be encouraged through the table of friendship He provided.  Rest, and be refreshed.  And there's a retreat yet to come.