Last Saturday afternoon a group of ten Day Camp Team Alumnae, plus myself and our Guest Speaker, gathered on Google Meet for our Day Retreat.
Gillian, who must be credited for sparking the idea for our Theme-
“Yeast, Water, Flour, Salt” Spiritual Reflections on Bread
welcomed everyone and helped us set an intentional space by lighting a candle and praying. Then Miriam and Donna led us in the first of our worship times as we shared songs from the Taizé community.
Next Jenna offered her first reflection on Yeast after which participants moved into their kitchens and I guided them through setting a sponge as the first step in baking a loaf of Challah bread.
The sponges were then left to rise as we took time for personal space, journaling in response to questions posed by our Speaker, and the opportunity to view a short music video.
This pattern played out through the rest of the afternoon as we joined in worship songs, listened to each of the reflections and responded through the steps of preparing our loaves, watching themed videos and journaling.
By the time we regrouped for a final time of sharing, our loaves were in the ovens and all of us had been spiritually filled by a rich tapestry of thoughts, quotations and insights as provided by Jenna.
It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon in community with each other, taking a few hours to step away from our daily tasks.
The planning group did a great job of building a schedule that flowed smoothly, even with the added tensions of an online platform. As we ended several participants expressed the hope that we would be having future Retreats together and I certainly hope so too 🙂
