Retreeeeet! I left out of the house in the opposite direction of my family for a weekend away. It was fabulous.
Kir and I went to our church Women’s Retreat a day early so as to unplug from the summer and be able to focus. The theme was GPS: Growing Peaceful and Secure.
We arrived in the early afternoon and walked across the parking lot to a shopping plaza that had a HUGE used bookstore where we could have spent a week, a shoe store where we both came out with new sandles, and a Dollar General where we found deals on things we didn’t even know we needed/wanted! The afternoon had dissolved into evening and our hunt for a place of dinning ensued…without a GPS! We drove around “nowhere’sville” for an hour before coming back to our plaza Burger King for take out! 
But God is so encouraging and gave us a FULL rainbow to gaze at while munching from our room.
The conference was filled with friends, song, fellowship, lessons, discussions, laughter and tears, prayer and worship, food, and talent. And despite the lack of a working air conditioner (and only 2 huge fans) we had a great journey! I learned how important my relationships are, with those both older and younger than me. We have so much to offer each other.
The sound of the ocean is constant. We can hear it at first, but then we ignore it as background noise until we consciously listen. In the same way, we must consciously listen to God’s voice for direction. I realized that my peace and security are dependent on my surrender to God… Growing Peaceful and Secure!