CEW 2019

So last year, about this time, I went on a CEW retreat. It's a bit like a Cursillo retreat but a little different. And it was good. In my old post, I wrote about how I wasn't clear what the lasting impact would be.

Well, we found a true parish community. That is an amazing impact. Church isn't just Mass on Sunday. I have real and true friendships with people. We get together monthly. (Or we try to anyway when all these blizzards don't cancel our nights together.)

I was invited to join a mom's rosary morning and my introverted self went. And now I go pray the rosary with friends while the kids play. We pray for each other. Let me tell you that friendship rooted in prayer and vulnerability is real.

And in early November my phone rang. And I was asked to be on this year's CEW Team. So I said yes.

This past weekend, I spent 48 hours at school/church helping lead this retreat. And let me tell you, a thank you is inadequate to whoever picked me for my role. It was so much more than I could have imagined. It was really amazing actually.

I honestly don't know where we are going from here yet again but I suspect there's a pretty good plan I am a part of and I just trust that it's going to be great.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is how beautiful the table decorations are, BUT we don't have our phones which is a shame since they work so hard to make the weekend really lovely. This year, I had a friend on the kitchen team take a picture of the decorations at Saturday's lunch because they were so lovely. This is after the placemats and napkins were removed since we were done eating. So it was even more magical, but it still is beautiful.

And they did similar table decorations, with fresh flowers and loveliness for 6 meals! It was so nice to feel cared for.

My heart is full and I am definitely riding the CEW high.