For my birthday, my husband gave me the gift of a weekend away at a retreat centre on Bowen Island called “Rivendell.” He had been there once before on a leadership retreat through TWU, and found it to be such a restful experience. I find that I thrive in a fast paced setting, so the idea of resting is often very hard for me. It turns out, it was exactly what I needed and definitely something I feel that we all could use more of. There was a silent retreat going on, so the building had an emphasis on silence. Though me not talking is virtually impossible, we did get to enjoy the beautiful sounds of the rain hitting our ceiling, the fire crackling, and the kettle boiling. Rest is a beautiful thing.
I spy a squirrel…
The picture of coziness.
There was a sanctuary just a few steps outside our door. It was intended to be a place of communal rest, worship, and quietness.
The teacher nerd in me got so excited when I saw this. We are doing an ecosystems unit in Science right now, and I just taught my students about ‘decomposers.’ I actually got excited when I saw these ‘decomposers’ in the forest…I think I was meant to be a teacher.
“”For a while the hobbits continued to talk and think of the past journey and of the perils that lay ahead; but such was the virtue of the land of Rivendell that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds. The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song.” – Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Leave a Reply