Silence is Golden

This past Monday-Wednesday I got to attend a silent retreat. It was so great to get away from everything that keeps me so busy here at home. I spent time crafting, sitting in silence, sitting by the lake, taking long walks while thinking, processing, and praying, and even stretching each day. I got some sad news as I drove to the retreat so the peace and quiet of those days really helped me to process the news. It was a nice time to get away. Last week was spring break so with this retreat being right after that, I got a whole week and a half off from work! It was a much needed break. I forget just how tiring my job can be some times until I take off and others fill in for me and express how tiring it is. Spring break was a great week. I joined a gym and also took advantage of a free week of yoga classes. I did anywhere from 2-4 workout classes per day for the most part! It was great! The yoga classes helped me learn some stretches I can use on a regular basis to loosen up my hips, legs, and feet. I also went to visit my mom and took her out to see The Shack for her birthday. We ate popcorn and drank soda during the movie and then I treated her to a late lunch of crawfish. I still think there's no one else out there that can do crawfish as good as the Couch family! We had a great afternoon and even picked up some of Bluebell's new flavor ice cream cone to have for dinner with my pops! It was a great day hanging with my parents and I'm glad I had the break to go do that.
In other news, I mailed and emailed out my latest newsletter about my journey to Thailand. If you're not receiving them by mail or email, send me your info and I'll add you to the list. If you think I should already have your email address, check your spam or promotions folder. In gmail, it typically ends up in my promotions folder. Try adding my email address to your contact list to see if that helps. Anyway, I am more than willing to forward it on to you if you're interested. It includes articles on meeting the bishop and Lucy. It also has a new Thai word of the month! I'm currently about 72% funded so I'm getting super close to being able to set a departure date!! Please consider helping me close that gap to get me to Thailand! Whether you want to pledge $10 a month or $200 a month, all gifts make a difference! I would really love to leave for Thailand this summer. My team eagerly awaits my arrival so I can jump in and get to work learning the language and serving! Speaking of learning the language, I'm continuing on with my Thai lessons. This week we learned colors and numbers. I already remember 4 colors well! I have a lot of practicing to do, though. After having spring break off from lessons, I really struggled remembering some of the last words learned. If you're ever interested in going through flashcards with me, let me know! It's always more fun to learn with a friend!!
April is right around the corner. Hard to believe March has come and is almost gone. With April also comes my very last Spiritual Direction class. This has been a three year class so it's crazy to think that the last class is in just two weeks! Our assignment for this next class is to plan and present a prayer day to our class. I'm working with two other classmates to plan a day. Unfortunately, we won't get to hold it before class, but thankfully that's not a requirement. Guess I'll need to organize my thoughts  a bit more and get it all down on paper soon! April may be our last class day, but we also have a closing retreat in May and a graduation ceremony in June. I'm looking forward to graduating, and I've been so blessed to learn and practice spiritual direction. I think these skills will help me so much in serving others in Thailand!
I guess that about wraps up everything for now. I can say that I've been working on my goals I set for this season of Lent. Giving up playing all games on my phone has been a bit challenging and I kind of miss them in those times when I'm just killing time waiting, but it has definitely served its purpose well. I have become more aware of what's going on around and within me and have been able to process things a bit more readily. The other inward challenges have proven to be challenges, but my statements about each of them play through my mind whenever I realize one of them has crept in. Gossip, negativity, fear of failure, comparing myself to others, and doubt have a nasty way of sneaking in. But to continue working on being aware of those things, it's easier to shut them down before they have time to take root!
Lastly, here are a few pictures from my spring break and silent retreat. Enjoy!

Pinot's Palette with Randi

Daily walks with Lucy on spring break!

Finger labyrinth I made at the Silent Retreat