Days of Deepening Friendship

I've been joining this online women's Lenten retreat-- though belatedly, I only started last week when it started on Ash Wednesday week yet. What's good about it, though, is that you're not stuck to their posted schedule and can go at your own pace and just refer to the archives when you need to. So what I've been doing is instead of doing it weekly-- since I already came in late-- is to catch up by doing each session every two days.

I'm now on the 2nd Week of Lent session at http://deepeningfriendship.loyolapress.com/category/session-3-second-week-of-lent/.

Anyway, what I additionally like from this online retreat is that it's multimedia-- you can read, watch and listen to the video, as well as download sample chapters from Vinita Hampton-Wright's book, "Days of Deepening Friendship", which can also be purchased by registered retreatants at a discount.

Most importantly, the retreat speaks to me deeply and profoundly, and I found certain words and passages resonating with me instantly. This is the right material at the right time; the student is ready, the teacher has come, so to speak.

These are my favorite passages so far:

"As you grow in awareness of God's Presence, and as you become better acquainted with your own soul, you will notice that honesty in your life rises to a disconcerting level." : )

***

"Spiritual awareness brings with it certain choices that sometimes only you will know about-- those interior decisions that truly shape who you are."

***

"When it comes to spiritual progress, the bad news usually comes first. One day you step out the door and run right into the consequences of your unwise choices and your entangled heart. That's a hard moment, one that can last for weeks or months while you sort through the damage. But the last word is always the good word: God is already here, and you are already so completely loved that all of this mess will just be a little blip compared to what Love can accomplish."

***

"It's time for women of faith to quit apologizing-- for who they are or who they've been, for what they feel and know, and for their powerful ability to connect with spiritual reality. When a woman is free to be herself and express to God--without fear--her loves, dreams, pains, and passions, she can embark upon a friendship that is stunning in its wisdom and delightful in its daily unfolding."

***

"When we decide to accept God's Friendship, we must prepare to learn a new way of being in the world."

***

"We've grown accustomed to managing life ourselves, even when the constant juggling and burden carrying threaten our health and relationships. If we are going to open our lives to God's Love and help, we'll have to clear some space and do some letting go. We may have to come to a complete stop. And most certainly, we'll have to change the way we cope. Otherwise, this "relationship with God" will become just one more thing to manage."

***

"A growing friendship with God will allow some space for reflecting on how we cope with life. As we develop our friendship with God, that place where we meet Divine Love may well become the ultimate container for all the circumstances, feelings and situations that are too much for us. And sometimes, Divine Love will direct us to seek a friend, go to counseling, or take longer naps. We can follow through on these directions as our trust grows and as the friendship itself becomes more real to us."

*****

What blew my mind away, though, was when I opened the first session's download, and I read these words from the Preface of her book--

"For every woman whose hunger for love refuses to die."

: ) : ) : )