Retreat Weekend

10/14/15 -- So, there is a lot to catch you all up on.  Some things have changed a smidgen, which has challenged me and I have not been blogging has much.  I will get back in the swing of that, now. (I hope)

    My left ankle finally recovered enough to allow for pretty normal walking and a whole lot less pain, to which I am very grateful for.

    The weekend of my local church Women's Retreat was good.  I was able to go due to some last minute application of the last half of the money needed to pay for my "entry fee".  I was able to room with the same 3 people as last year plus one new person.  I rode to the Retreat with one of the speakers, someone that I have started to get to know.  This woman is the wife of a pastor that is called a 'church planter', they have 'planted' a number of churches in different countries and now they are here in my town 'planting' a church. 

    I was actually able to enjoy the retreat much better than last year, when I went.  Last year I was so miserable that I couldn't enjoy/hear the speakers on Saturday whereas this year I was.  I did end up with a headache that caused me to miss 'free time' but that was fine, I slept which seemed to help along with taking Imitrex in the morning.  I ended up talk with my apt. assistant manager about some stuff, so we missed the afternoon session.  That really wasn't a big deal because that is also what the retreat is about; the ability to talk with and get 'ministered to' when and if needed.  This time I remembered earplugs so I would be able to sleep even with all the noise when people come into the room late after they have had some longer fun than me.  The time that I am accustomed to getting up in the morning and going to bed at night makes it sort of difficult to stay up too late.

  I will tell you that not having a constant, overpowering the meds, headache was very nice because it meant a lot more enjoyment out of the Retreat compared to last year.   This year we were given a clay bowel made by one of the Retreat coordinators, a prayer journal, and a little prayer booklet.  The prayer booklet was really good, I used it during my devotion time on Saturday morning.  There are two chapters in that book {2 little prayers} that really stuck out to me and were 'hitting the nail right on the head' as far a what I haven't been able to pray let alone do concerning the situation with my son and the whole reason that I have been depressed for so long.  I was actually able to prayer those two little prayers and pray from the heart exactly what was printed on the paper, I did tweak it a little to make them fit my situation/personality but essentially they fit perfectly.  I was so relieved and actually felt like a whole burden or cloud was lifted off me.

  Ever since the Retreat, I have felt better, finally get to the place where I am carrying about stuff like the cleanliness of my apartment. Not that it was filthy or anything but it just needed to be much cleaner, the way that I really would like it to be and it should be.  I was even able to get a menu planned out so that I could actually, effectively go to the grocery store.   I finally went to the grocery store and bought ingredients that I could use for a couple of things that I have been craving: meatloaf, homemade chicken noodle soup w/homemade noodles that I make, french toast that I made a casserole version of, and a egg/sausage bowl.  All of which is very yummy - haven't even been bored with any of it.  Ran out of the homemade chicken noodle soup so I have to kind of wing it for the last couple of days.
  I am so thankful that I am feeling somewhat better, I feel like I am on the path upwards out of this funk that I have been in for a long, long time.