a deep breath

taking a breath from life can be life-giving. i don't just mean sitting down at the computer and playing games, or going to bed early. sometimes we need to get away and out of our normal routine. i had the opportunity to do that this past weekend. what a gift! i went with my teammate, our executive director, and another wonderful woman who loves God -- and we got to spend three full days near brasov in central romania. in low mountains/high hills. it was marvelous. it felt like a fairy tale in some ways. this is a picture i took while we were there. doesn't it feel like it should be in a story book? not everything looked like this, but there were plenty of places to rest, to look at the beautiful hills and trees and changing colors around us, to breathe and take in beauty. and -- it looked like it might rain at the beginning of the weekend, but we had beautiful weather. a bit chilly with plenty of sunshine. and plenty of good food!

we didn't have a schedule. some vague ideas, like 'let's go into brasov today and wander around the old town' or 'let's wander into the hills and see what we find'. no task lists. being together, getting to ask for what we needed whether it be a meal, a good laugh, time to just sit still, space to ask questions. the four of us have never been together just by ourselves before, but we got along grandly. and all of us got a retreat. even the two older and wiser women who came to lead (sort of) were able to rest and be refreshed, which was another blessing. (and there was plenty of laughing and being ourselves freely -- even if it meant doing handstands or dancing in the middle of a field of flowers .. !)

and after getting that chance to breathe deeply out in nature with different kinds of noise and space -- it's right back into the city. but with some fresh energy to re-engage language, relationships, challenges of being here.