I just got back from my first ever Catholic retreat. My first time leaving my husband and my children overnight for four years. My very first time hanging out in silence with God for 72 hours.
I think my 40 days of Lent post series will all be about things I learned on my retreat. (Who knows how my blog and Lent will turn out since I'm trying now to be more about "Being" and less about "Doing." If you click her for six weeks and keep finding odd, short, unstructured posts you know I'm taking those "more Mary, less Martha" lessons to heart.)
I did want to share a completely unexpected outcome of vanishing for an entire weekend. My first act of solo parental discipline of Hannah on Monday ended with the usual "NO, Mommy, NO" tear festival. Then, she suddenly quit crying and started dancing on our breakfast chairs. While she danced, she made up her own, unique song.
Hannah's Song
"You better listen to your Mommy.
She's a very special woman.
Your Mom's a great woman.
She's a very lovable woman.
She's a great one."
These were Hannah's exact words. She had me write them down so she could sing her song to her Dad at night.
That's the power of hours of straight Adoration. You come home to the same kids, the same mess, the same "I don't want to sit on the naughty chair" problems. Jesus just happens to add in some extra incredible acts of beauty just to remind you that your vocation is pleasing to Him.
