ASSOCIATE RELATIONSHIP

A retreat in the northwest hills of Connecticut

I have on my monitor in my office a Dove chocolate wrapper with the quote “Get lost in the pages of your story.” Thinking about this past year I found myself lost in the “learnings” and the “doings” of the job of Co-Coordinator for Blessed Sacrament Province. Donna was very helpful in passing the baton to me and I ran with it alongside Maria.

This June, Maria and I were graced with time for contemplation accompanied by Sister Ann Perrin at Trinity Retreat Center (TRC) in West Cornwall, CT. Sister Ann Perrin provided us with a brief overview of the Enneagram to help us understand our motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. This experience helped us improve our communications and build a stronger relationship with one another. It was a powerful experience of self- discovery. We were able to catch our breaths as we reflected on the past year, the events we hosted, places we visited and new friends we made. I appreciated the quiet time to explore with Maria how our different work styles blended. The past year was demanding, full of changes that did not allow us opportunity to reflect before engaging in the next activity. The coming months look to be just as busy.

TRC grounds were inviting and border 700 acres of forest. Their meals are farm-to-table meals and much of the produce came from their own farm. They have a donkey rescue with six donkeys along with chickens, two goats and a wonderful caring staff that takes care of the animals and property. The Housatonic river runs along the property and attracts many wonderful birds. We were delighted by a blue heron standing in the river and many turkey vultures entertained us in the sky. We spotted vultures roosting in trees while we walked the labyrinth and found gifts of their feathers on the paths. Vulture symbolism is associated with death and transformation but watching them command the winds as they circled above was a thing of beauty.