Survived!

“The women are coming – head to the hills!”

Thus the weekends started with Bill’s cry to me as I jogged back over to the office before early bird registration began two Thursdays ago. He was a little off. No matter what time you tell the women registration begins, at least five of them arrive an hour early, so women had already arrived. And I thought, “If only I could head to the hills.”

“Let’s hurry,” Andrea said as we darted to our cars this past Sunday afternoon. “Before we run into another woman.”

And thus ended two weekends of women retreats. For no matter what time you tell them to leave, there were still women around even after we finally departed camp at two Sunday afternoon. Talking, chatting, saying goodbye twenty times, not wanting to go home. Who knows what time they all finally left.

And, so, I have officially survived two weekends of women’s retreats. Which was the only thing I could think of saying when Bill asked me at last week’s staff meeting how the weekend had gone. It’s not a question I can answer like he wants, which I think doesn’t make sense to him. He and Lisa see ministry as being out there for people to unburden themselves to, and exchange lots of hugs, and share life stories. Which is all a very important part of ministry. But it’s not my “niche”. I like my office, and order, and not tons of emotion. A support to the ministry Bill and Lisa feel is most important, and a wonderful thing in the office. Not so practical when over 200 women want to pour out their struggles and I come across as not being very emotional or approachable. So, what I haven’t quite learned is how I do fit in to women’s events…something Bill and Lisa haven’t figured out either.

So, while the two weekends were very long (and made more so by wet, autumn weather that allowed for getting out and yet seemed to congregate the women in one main building), there were high points. I got to know a couple of women who spend a lot of time at quilt retreats, which is nice because I feel even more lost during a month when I’m a mere passing face to over 500 women focused on projects I know nothing about. Knowing a couple of the women’s names and vice versa will be a stepping block I can stand on. And I got to know one woman who I work with a little bit. She’s does our website, works on mass e-mails and things of that nature. As some new things get launched I’ll have a finger or two in, it was nice to make a connection with the person who does all that.

I have to say, though, that a total of nearly 450 women over a total of six days is overwhelming, exhausting and mind-numbing. And I just marvel that Solomon – the wisest man who ever lived – had a harem of 1,000 women. He was nuts. And perhaps he shared my thoughts as he ended his days on earth: I survived!