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A Time To Renew

 Saturday was my day to recharge my spirit. I was woken up early by that sweet Mr. Urban and “encouraged” to get a head start on my special day so I can relax and not feel rushed. The retreat was held at the Mercy Center. I was lucky that my drive was short, only 20 minutes (some had driven hours that morning to make the event).

The second I crossed an ordinary looking parking lot at the entrance of the property and headed down a narrow stone walled pathway, I knew that I was in for a treat. Mercy Center, I learned, is a retreat center on the beautiful grounds of a convent belonging to the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame, CA. Once you are there, you don’t need to check their website to know that they welcome all people, no matter their faith or cultural background, to nourish themselves.

The retreat was hosted by Karen Maezen Miller and attended by Mothers from all over the Bay Area and beyond.

I was reminded to let go of the expectations my mind imposes on this world and the people in it. Most of all to let go of the impositions I make upon myself.

I was also reminded to stop my judgments on this world and the people in it. Ok, I can do that when no one has bothered me. “But how the heck do I do that when someone is just not that nice???” I desperately and discreetly ask Karen during a break. “By relaxing, and not judging yourself for having judgments” she says in her endearing Zen kind of way.


We meditated on how to sew love and peacefulness into the fabric of our everyday life - simply by bringing all our attention to each and everything we do.


I laughed a lot, walked a labyrinth, did Yoga, and wondered around the lovely gardens – which I could truly feel their Holiness just by the virtue of all the love and work that has gone into its grooming.  

Karen will have more retreats around the US if you are interested in attending.  And I hope that no matter how charmed of a life you lead, you take a deliberate moment to recharge your batteries.  

And as for me, my story ends back with my Mr. Urban and darling little girl. Lighter and flooded with a few new ideas and projects that have popped in when I wasn’t looking… and of course with a heart full of gratitude for this life of ours….
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