Wait, What?

Where I've been and another open prayer request thread.

The good news is I am doing better! Nothing too dramatic was going on during the hiatus, just another bout of disease-life, very low key this round — 75% spent laid out flat but otherwise no worries, 25% completely normal and accomplishing many good things, centered on family time.

I would greatly appreciate prayers for a continued return towards normal energy levels and specifically being able to exercise and get back into shape. One of the great things about a relapsing and remitting disease is that it does remit! We love that. But every time, it’s a game of trying to build back the life you set on hold.

The exercise component of recovery is super important because it’s the thing that made that 25% possible, and believe me there are plenty of people who would give anything to be able to do the 25%.

I could also use prayers for discernment and discipline as I’m deciding where and how to catch up on the 75% that fell by the wayside.

***

Something really neat: A couple weeks ago as my energy levels were consistently ramping back up again, at my husband’s urging I decided to pull the trigger, extremely last minute, on attending the Catholic Writers Guild retreat. It was close to home, and once I was sure I could get a room where I could go day lay down as much as needed, it started to look like a viable thing. —> We decided that if I was too sick to attend I’d just offer to let someone else go for free in my place.

My child who is a combination art student (used to having her worked critiqued) and psyche major (preparing for a career as a therapist because my gosh she is good at it) talked me through my anxiety about putting some of my fiction out for critique, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I am not a horrible writer.

So in quiet-time activities I’m working on getting edits done on a draft manuscript that most who read the first fifteen pages said they were keen to know how the story ended.

Photo: Chapel at Heartridge retreat center, taken by me, who got to sit there with Jesus as much as I wanted.

Stunning surprise: Heartridge retreat center has a little chapel, which was right near the lodge where our group was staying, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. Felt like I’d won the lottery. Being Catholic really is a privilege, guys.

Double lotto win: Fr. Longenecker from Our Lady of the Rosary was up Saturday evening to say Mass for the men’s retreat from that parish, and it was no big deal, at all, to request a separate chalice for the two of us with celiac disease. Just that simple. OLR staff guy organizing the Mass knew exactly what we were talking about and the altar servers from OLR even knew the deal. Easy peasy. Just ask and it was done.

I have not had this experience elsewhere, ever.

And yet it is just not a complicated thing. (In this case, Fr. L’s procedure is to have those of us receiving from the set-aside chalice to come last in line. Which is fine because his hands which have been handling the regular hosts don’t touch the drinking surface.) The only thing “special” your parish needs to make this happen is at least one additional chalice other than the presider’s chalice. Probably you have one.

***

The biggest eye re-opener to me, though, was getting to spend time getting know the other retreatants.

There were only a dozen of us in total, nearly all new acquaintances for me, and since it was a retreat not a conference, we mostly had wide open time on the schedule to pray and write and do whatever. Many of us showed up shy, but there was so much time for conversation worked into the event, both informally (meals) and through the smattering of workshops, that it was like attending six months of (really good) small-group meetings in the course of a weekend.

And the thing is: People have so, so much to them.

I just marveled at the dozen different ways God was working in this assemblage of people who had little else in common other than that we love Jesus Christ in the Catholic faith and we can’t help but write stuff. Human beings are just so awesome.

***

Next serious topic on the agenda here at One Soul at a Time is going to be on mental health ministry. Huge thanks to Cathy Lins for staying on my case (at my request), I’ll be putting together some links from her and a handful of other invaluable voices.

No timeline on that, since it takes a little work and paying attention to do a serious content post instead of just rambling with personal updates, but that’s the priority.

Combox is open for new prayer requests for the fall. God bless.