A moment of sun

Finally a couple of hours of sunshine after days and days of heavy rain. The magnolia buds are smiling and frizzing out their little gray hairs. 

Tonight at 7 p.m., until Sunday at 4 p.m., Sue and I are enrolled in an online weekend retreat led by Kamala Masters and Steve Armstrong. We’ve studied with Masters in person here in Oregon maybe five years ago, and we like her style, though we don't ever envision being able to afford to go to Hawaii for an in-person retreat there. We requested time off from the retreat to attend the memorial for Sylvia Dollarson, but given the terrible surge in Covid here, Donna has postponed her mother’s memorial until spring or summer, when we can all meet outdoors. So now Sue and I don’t have to agonize over whether to go or not, nor do we have to leave the retreat on Saturday.

In preparation, we planned easy-to-manage menus, almost like being on an in-person retreat: simple meals, noble silence for the duration of the retreat, a time of deep stillness and guided reflection. We bought a loaf of good bread, and we’re making a vegetable stock this afternoon (see extra), so we can prepare a variety of soups over the next three days without having to break silence. I’ll turn off my comments for now and be back to blip on Sunday night. May you all have a weekend that offers you exactly what you need, and if you enjoy stillness, may you have as much as you need.