My first blog. To be honest, I've never really understood blogging and have never gotten into it at all. I thought I'd give it a try so here we go.
Last week I got an incredible opportunity to go on a retreat to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The retreat included a spiritual, physical, social aspects - not to mention a 16 hour ride with 11 people in a 12 passenger van with bags on our laps. The main reason for the retreat was to chop up wood and deliver it to elderly people who are living basically only on social security checks from month to month and we provided wood that would heat their homes and their stoves for free. We worked through an organization called Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.
The first aspect of this retreat that I mentioned is the spiritual. How does the work we are doing affect our relationship with God? What I have come up with from my personal experience is that the work we did in Michigan was not just us going up to chop wood; there is a deeper meaning behind it all. Although I have always been one that appreciate the outdoors - camping, fishing, hiking, etc. - this retreat really strengthened that appreciation because at the end, we planted 150 trees to offset the ones we had chopped into woodstove lumber. God has blessed us with such an amazing world, and there are so many beautiful things to see. During one of our reflection periods, one of the questions was, "What gift do you want to give to your children?" One of the answers - not mine - had to do with making sure that the earth would be in good condition; that it would be just as beautiful for their children as it is for us.
The physical aspect of this retreat doesn't exactly need a ton of explaining. We chopped logs down to size! I spent most of my time on the ax, but I did give the chainsaw a go. I didn't really enjoy it that much. There's something about having the satisfaction that your own inertia defeated that thick, knotted log. With a chainsaw, you just pull a trigger and it does the rest of the work for you. My favorite part was the barbarian death swing. Full-on, over the head, screaming, CHOP! No log stands a chance. Now I have worked a manual labor job for the past two summers, so I know how demanding it is; lumberjacking is hard work! We went for about 4 hours per day, and by the end of each day, I was ready to collapse in a worthless heap on the couch.
Finally, the social aspect of the retreat. This was the first thing we experienced when we got into the van at 4:45am on Monday, May 17, 2010. Some of us knew each other, but there were a few on the trip with whom I was less familiar. Anyway, I started off with a 5 hour nap, but upon my awakening, the road games commenced. Building relationships in that van ride made 16 hours feel like nothing. The friendships continued to prosper throughout the week. Not only did I meet new friends who go to Rockhurst, we were also able to spend some quality time with the people for whom we were chopping the wood. The first woman, Ester, was such a hoot! So many years under her belt, yet so full of life! The second delivery was not quite as successful. It says a lot that I don't actually even recall his name. We stacked the wood, he shut his door, and we were on our way. Wesley was by far my favorite. This man had a good head on his shoulders. He really knew the important things in life. The one he stressed most: family. He couldn't talk enough about his sons and how glad he was that they were living in the same area in which the were raised. Gosh, I could go on about Wesley for a long time. What a man!
Overall, terrific retreat. So many memories that I will cherish for countless years. I'd love to write more, but I seem to have lost track of my blue ox and I must find him before anything bad happens...
Last week I got an incredible opportunity to go on a retreat to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The retreat included a spiritual, physical, social aspects - not to mention a 16 hour ride with 11 people in a 12 passenger van with bags on our laps. The main reason for the retreat was to chop up wood and deliver it to elderly people who are living basically only on social security checks from month to month and we provided wood that would heat their homes and their stoves for free. We worked through an organization called Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.
The first aspect of this retreat that I mentioned is the spiritual. How does the work we are doing affect our relationship with God? What I have come up with from my personal experience is that the work we did in Michigan was not just us going up to chop wood; there is a deeper meaning behind it all. Although I have always been one that appreciate the outdoors - camping, fishing, hiking, etc. - this retreat really strengthened that appreciation because at the end, we planted 150 trees to offset the ones we had chopped into woodstove lumber. God has blessed us with such an amazing world, and there are so many beautiful things to see. During one of our reflection periods, one of the questions was, "What gift do you want to give to your children?" One of the answers - not mine - had to do with making sure that the earth would be in good condition; that it would be just as beautiful for their children as it is for us.
The physical aspect of this retreat doesn't exactly need a ton of explaining. We chopped logs down to size! I spent most of my time on the ax, but I did give the chainsaw a go. I didn't really enjoy it that much. There's something about having the satisfaction that your own inertia defeated that thick, knotted log. With a chainsaw, you just pull a trigger and it does the rest of the work for you. My favorite part was the barbarian death swing. Full-on, over the head, screaming, CHOP! No log stands a chance. Now I have worked a manual labor job for the past two summers, so I know how demanding it is; lumberjacking is hard work! We went for about 4 hours per day, and by the end of each day, I was ready to collapse in a worthless heap on the couch.
Finally, the social aspect of the retreat. This was the first thing we experienced when we got into the van at 4:45am on Monday, May 17, 2010. Some of us knew each other, but there were a few on the trip with whom I was less familiar. Anyway, I started off with a 5 hour nap, but upon my awakening, the road games commenced. Building relationships in that van ride made 16 hours feel like nothing. The friendships continued to prosper throughout the week. Not only did I meet new friends who go to Rockhurst, we were also able to spend some quality time with the people for whom we were chopping the wood. The first woman, Ester, was such a hoot! So many years under her belt, yet so full of life! The second delivery was not quite as successful. It says a lot that I don't actually even recall his name. We stacked the wood, he shut his door, and we were on our way. Wesley was by far my favorite. This man had a good head on his shoulders. He really knew the important things in life. The one he stressed most: family. He couldn't talk enough about his sons and how glad he was that they were living in the same area in which the were raised. Gosh, I could go on about Wesley for a long time. What a man!
Overall, terrific retreat. So many memories that I will cherish for countless years. I'd love to write more, but I seem to have lost track of my blue ox and I must find him before anything bad happens...
