“If we don’t come apart for a while, 

we will come apart after awhile.”

-Dallas Willard

 

Today’s Welcoming and Wandering newsletter explores the power of long-term friendships, solitude, and the magic of taking a day to unclench your soul. Click the link to read the whole article and subscribe for free.

When my children were small, I was overcommitted at church and overwhelmed at home. I was writing books and freelancing for magazines and volunteering at church and my children’s school and …and…

In the midst of that season, a woman from my church, Sibyl, became a friend and mentor to me. Twenty years older than me, she could still beat me at tennis with a wicked spin shot and strategy born of experience on the court and in life. She dripped wisdom all the time. She recommended books, taught me about spiritual practices. Provided opportunities to teach and develop my gifts. One of the truest things she said, which I’ve repeated to others I hope to encourage:

“You have all the time you need to do the things that God has called you to do.”

(Our dilemma, of course, is we try to do things we were never meant to do. We forget to listen to God before rushing headlong into busyness.)

For years, we taught together, did ministry together, went for long walks, sharing questions, wisdom, silence. She mentored so many people—I was lucky to be among them.

About a dozen years ago, Sibyl and her husband moved to Oldenburg, Indiana, to run a retreat center. Sibyl was 70; Dick a few years older. I thought I’d go down and visit her, but it didn’t happen. Life got in the way. (Also, if feels like they started this chapter of life more recently than more than a decade ago. Life rushes past.)

We’ve kept in touch, only occasionally, but recently she’s been responding via email to my newsletters. I decided it was finally time for a road trip to Oldenburg. The four-and-a-half-hour drive felt both freeing and daunting.

What did I do in Indiana? What did I learn on my short retreat? Read the rest of this article here. Be sure to subscribe for free. 

In a woodland meadow, a beautiful grassy labyrinth offers a place for contemplation.