by Gwendolyn M Plano
This past weekend, I attended a women’s retreat led by prior retreatants. The setting was nondescript; the content, however, was overwhelming. Each leader shared her journey from early memory to the present. Painfully honest, one by one the presenters spoke of life challenges, of mistakes made and suffered, of miracles experienced or awaited.
I knew nothing of the retreat before attending and went only because of a friend’s encouragement. As I sat uncomfortably on the cold metal chairs, listening to one speaker after another, I had a single recurring thought: this is real, very real. And, this realness opened my heart wide to the collective journey and the choices we each face.
The day after the retreat, I co-hosted a BlogTalkRadio show called Aspire to Inspire with author John Howell. It is one of the many shows offered through the Rave Reviews Book Club. This particular monthly program focuses on an inspirational quote and considers various interpretations. John and I talked about the following Dr. Wayne Dyer statement:
In a universe that's an intelligent system with a divine creative force supporting it, there simply can be no accidents. As tough as it is to acknowledge, you had to go through what you went through in order to get to where you are today, and the evidence is that you did.
John began the discussion by sharing a personal, life-changing accident, and I spoke of my father’s loss of his arm. If you have a moment, I invite you to listen to this short exchange. Curiously, the quote had been selected weeks in advance of the retreat, and yet it addressed the same topic: our individual and collective journey, the choices before us, and the love that upholds all.
With the turmoil of political noise surrounding us, it is the real responses to challenges, to accidents, that have the power to evoke awe. Don’t you agree? And with awe, I am moved into hope and the possibility of peace. Do you find the same to be true?
I knew nothing of the retreat before attending and went only because of a friend’s encouragement. As I sat uncomfortably on the cold metal chairs, listening to one speaker after another, I had a single recurring thought: this is real, very real. And, this realness opened my heart wide to the collective journey and the choices we each face.
The day after the retreat, I co-hosted a BlogTalkRadio show called Aspire to Inspire with author John Howell. It is one of the many shows offered through the Rave Reviews Book Club. This particular monthly program focuses on an inspirational quote and considers various interpretations. John and I talked about the following Dr. Wayne Dyer statement:
In a universe that's an intelligent system with a divine creative force supporting it, there simply can be no accidents. As tough as it is to acknowledge, you had to go through what you went through in order to get to where you are today, and the evidence is that you did.
John began the discussion by sharing a personal, life-changing accident, and I spoke of my father’s loss of his arm. If you have a moment, I invite you to listen to this short exchange. Curiously, the quote had been selected weeks in advance of the retreat, and yet it addressed the same topic: our individual and collective journey, the choices before us, and the love that upholds all.
With the turmoil of political noise surrounding us, it is the real responses to challenges, to accidents, that have the power to evoke awe. Don’t you agree? And with awe, I am moved into hope and the possibility of peace. Do you find the same to be true?
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