The Spark of a Memory

I was sitting in a meeting last week when an image having absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand popped into my head. It was an image of a sweet little set of stone steps carved into the side of a hill, covered in mossy greens, that led to a trail my friend Leah and I walked during the first Artful Journey retreat I attended back in 2010. I got lost in the memory and completely zoned out of the meeting for a few moments before I found myself back to where I was currently sitting.

The first Artful Journey retreat truly was magical for me, and it continues to have a lasting impact on my life to this day.  I had struggled a bit initially going because it felt a little selfish to spend the money to fly all the way across the country to spend five days playing with art, just for me, but once I did it, I realized how important it was for me. I remember talking to my husband by phone the second or third day of that first retreat and specifically telling him, "Just so you know. I will be back here. I will be coming every year this is offered"... and I did.  I heard that the retreat center had recently been sold, so when I got back up to my hotel room after my meeting, I googled the Presentation Center and came across this article. It seems these students missed the place and the memories made there as much as I do! I think the timing of the memory must have just been a familiar longing as this is the time of year that I went to those retreats. I attended the last one in 2016.

When I got home from the meeting, I searched my photos from the retreats, and I couldn't find a photo of those steps. They'll have to remain in my memories. This photo, however, was taken on the trail the steps led us to.  The Artful Journey retreats were so special to me they have their own category here on my blog. You can search those posts here to see what I created at each retreat and read my stories about them. Such sweet memories. Wish I could go back again!