Opportunities in March to come out to The Retreat House!
- The Retreat House Team
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Even as green leaves begin to bud and signs of spring peek through the soil, March asks for our patience. Coupled with the season of Lent, this time of year invites us to keep waiting for things to bloom. In the waiting there is usually more sorrow, more letting go, and more cold days than we would prefer. March is not quite winter and not quite spring. It is a transition, and those can be hard. We want to move on, move forward, and get to the good stuff, but times of transition can be rich with growth and spiritual formation.
In times of transition, it can be helpful to look back before you look forward. I have recently been working my way through my own memory journey using the book Behold Your Life: A Pilgrimage Through Your Memories by Macrina Wiederkher. This practice of praying with memories is quite a profound experience. I was first introduced to this way of prayer about seven years ago in my training program for spiritual formation. I couldn’t believe then, and am still amazed now, at how Christ meets me in my memories. In my practice of spiritual direction I will sometimes invite directees to be with a memory as well. We can re enter those places together and let the Spirit show us how Christ was present. It can be a healing rewiring of the experience.
This is similar to what can happen when clients engage with EMDR. Dr. Kevin Shelby will explain at the workshop how EMDR works and what similarities it has to this inner healing prayer with memories. We are both excited to share with you how we have seen this type of Redemptive Reflection be a gift to our own spiritual lives as well as the lives of those we work with. If you have ever been curious about what EMDR or inner healing prayer are all about, this is the workshop for you!
We will be guiding you through teaching, discussion, and a chance to practice a basic way to pray with a memory at the workshop! Hearing our experiences and being given some step by step ways to do this yourself, you may find that praying with memories is just the practice you long for to deepen your intimacy with Christ. So join us on March 24th from 6:00-8:00pm for this Redemptive Reflection Workshop. Learn more or sign up here
We will also have our monthly half day silent retreat this month on Tuesday, March 11th, from 9:30-1:30. As always, this is a time of guidance, silence, and lunch from Canale’s. There is no bad weather at The Retreat House! So whether this turns out to be a winter-ish March day or a spring-ish March day, you won’t regret making the time for slowing down to be with God.
And lastly, we will be offering Open Hours twice: Wednesday, March 19th, and Thursday, March 27th, from 10:00-2:00. These are no cost, no registration times for you to come check us out and enjoy a cup of coffee, a quiet space, and time to read, pray, walk, or journal. We hope to see you soon!
If you are looking for a place to have a silent retreat near Memphis, TN, look no further. Such a perfect location. They have created a welcoming place and you will find comfort all around you between the sweetly decorated home, the rustic log cabin full of warmth, and the beautiful grounds around the pond. The staff are well trained in Healing Care and Spiritual Direction.