today i am heading up to beersheba for our annual church retreat. i question if this it going to be a retreat or not. i have little to no responsibilities for a staff person on this trip, but i just know that something will come up. it always does.
beersheba, for those who don't know, it one of the umc's conference camps. it's an area that had a series of hot springs discovered in the mid 1800's. a hotel and tavern were built and the area was used for vacationers. the picture of this hotel may have been taken in the 40's when the methodist church bought the property. for me beersheba is a special place. the area is a chuck full of my sacred spaces. one of my natural escapes in the stone door. 
i sit with my potter friends "the mayhews" on their porch talking spirituality and greeting visitors on their front porch. i like to watch storms come in up the plateau at the beersheba overlook. sitting in the courtyard and watching the youth or children play. i stop by "big" don's, who is now "medium" don since he lost weight and have him tell me a story about the happenings of grundy county. it's my kinda place.
i look forward to this retreat. i just wonder what part will be my retreat.
