Retreat & Family Health

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy, and slightly overwhelming.

The week before last was spent in preparation for the upcoming retreat that I was working. Despite all of the obstacles that the retreat was faced with, everything turned out wonderfully! Logistically things went very smoothly, and I believe we made a large impact on the girls who attended the retreat.

The morning after arriving home Carlos and I left to go to Albuquerque. We needed to go to Albuquerque for a doctor appointment for Carlos. He has been diagnosed with Grave's Disease, and the endocrinologists closer to our city are very limited. We loved his new doctor and are happy with the doctor's recommendations for treatment. We made the most of this trip. While in town we spent time with many of Carlos' family members, watched Carlos' brother's band, we had dinner with my brother and sister-in-law, and had lunch with a friend.

After one night in Albuquerque we left to go to Carlsbad to surprise my mom, who was in the hospital. Her reaction to the surprise was great. We were so happy to cheer her up, and to provide some support/company for Dad as well.

We spent two nights there and headed home. We had a relaxing weekend. I am actually excited about the fact that I have nothing on my calendar for weeks or even months to come (that won't last long). I will have plenty of time to both relax and to be productive. :)

Misfortune?

This weekend I am working a Christian retreat, called a Chrysalis. In fact, I am the lay director for the retreat, which basically means that I'm the one heading it up.

We have had a lot of misfortune befall our team members. First, one of our spiritual directors broke her back and was unable to continue serving on the team. We acquired a new spiritual director who is now in ICU with a blood infection, and is now unable to serve. Other team member issues include: death in their immediate family, stomach issues, a broken hip, and most recently... My mother was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. She was so very excited to work this retreat. I am very sad, first of all because she is so ill, and secondly because I know how much she was looking forward to this opportunity. I was also looking forward to working this retreat with her.

It's hard to imagine so much misfortune for a team that is working to do so much good and to make a difference in the lives of the young women who will be attending the retreat. It's one of those times when I just have to ask... Why?