So, every year I go on a Christian retreat for a weekend. Have been for 23 years running.
Last few years, they've had us write ourselves a letter, summing up our experience and listing our hopes for growth - spiritual and otherwise - for the coming year. Write an envelope addressing it to ourselves and sealing it. The retreat staff then collects them and mails them to us next year a few weeks before our next retreat. Got mine yesterday. Forgot all about it (always do). Opened it eagerly to see what last year's Gardener had to say.
Last year's Gardener described the beautiful day while I was writing me. Discussed some spiritual insights of the weekend. One or two deep touching moments and then at the end wrote: "And this is the retreat you didn't want to go to, remember? Out-of-sorts because things are not quite right at home. Not bad. Just not right. Not connected. That's not us. Gotta get home and talk to (Mrs. G)." Further down I wrote, "Gotta go see (Gardener Family Doctor). This worry in my head is more than that. It's crushing me, paralyzing me. Something's wrong.'
And finally,"So how'd that talk with (Mrs. Gardener) go? How did the heart-to-heart, the counseling, the whatever go? How are you and (Mrs. Gardener) doing today, one year later?"
Went home, renewed by the retreat to talk to my wife. She began the conversation first with the Bomb, "I've gotten an apartment."
At least I went to my Dr. and got the Depression diagnosis and got that under control.
Just so weird getting that letter from "me" yesterday, written optimistically one year ago about two hours before I drove home to The Bomb.
Not going on retreat this year.
Last edited by Gardener; 10/19/0901:17 AM.
Gardener
"My soul, be satisfied with flowers, With fruit, with weeds even; but gather them In the one garden you may call your own." Cyrano deBergerac
