I had a marvelous time at the Clergy Spouse Retreat in Blackstone.  I caught up with some friends that I normally only see in passing at Annual Conference.  And I made some new friends that I hope I can keep in touch with.  It was a fairly small group, about 40 people.  The program was on de-stressing and finding joy.  It struck me though that the people that came to this program were probably not the ones that NEEDED the program.  Gail had us take an inventory to show us ways we could alleviate stress.  It had things on it like, exercise, healthy eating, don't drink or smoke, etc.  Most of us already do those things.  The only thing I could do to improve my life (according to this inventory) was drink less coffee.  And I'm not sure I WANT to drink less coffee. 

  But the spouses at this retreat were THERE!  They had made an effort to reach out to each other and connect.  That was a major stress reliever right there.  To be able to say, "How do you get a parsonage committee to agree to replacing the (furniture, toilet, dishwasher, etc. etc.)"  and have 20 other people say "I KNOW what you mean!"  To be able to talk about the stress of always being in "view", that fishbowl syndrome, and have those around you understand. 

   I was telling Joe about the program and what fun I had and he said that it sounds like I'm already making plans for being there next year.  I think he's right.