Tomorrow Night

30 °F

Chance of Snow

30% chance of precipitation

It was a long trip but thank goodness, there were no flight delays or bad weather. After dinner and grocery shopping in Reno, it was time to come to the Retreat Center. Jen, the priest who runs the Center was waiting and said she had a surprise–she looked like the cat who swallowed the canary. I had time to unpack and then we went in her car through town and parked where there were obviously docks below us. It was really dark, really clear, really cold. With the help of a flash light we went down rickety stairs, and out on an even more rickety pier. At the end, quite far out in the water, there was some light.

When we got out all the way to the end, there were two women. One was Megan Anderson, a gentle, lovely young woman, recently ordained, who is also involved in church redevelopment projects of the Episcopal Church. I met her a couple of years ago and she now works at the cathedral in Sacramento. The other, her mom. They had candles and chairs and little late night snacks. We visited till it got too cold and marveled at the ways paths cross and throw-away comments bring people together in unexpected ways; how in the end, we are all connected.

By this time it was almost midnight, my time, and I was exhausted. But I could not stop looking up at a night so clear you could see millions of stars and the gossamer cloud we call the Milky Way. It took my breath away. This morning, I enter the big silence.

Even though I have Internet access, I have decided I will only post pictures here while I am on retreat and will not be accessing FaceBook after this posting. I ask for your prayers and you will surely be in mine.