The season of holidays is upon us once again. They seem to come around so quickly, don’t they? Fall has just begun, soon it will be Thanksgiving, and then Christmas in the blink of an eye. It’s the season that makes us think of giving. The thankfulness we feel for our blessings makes us want to share love and goodness with others.
Besides these warm, fuzzy seasonal feelings, an experience from the past gave me the idea for my November 2024 retreat. Here’s the story…
In 1988, my daughter Erin was just 5 years old. We were able to travel back home to Missouri from California for Christmas, to visit family and church at Clarksdale. Erin and I had been practicing the song in this link to sing at church. The Gift Goes On (youtube.com) She had never sung in front of a crowd before, and only had experience in one Christmas play previously, where she had one line and was too shy to say it. I was a little unsure how this would turn out. We got on stage, I handed her a mic, and
said “if you get nervous or have trouble with the words, just look at me.” The music started, she grabbed the mic, looked out to the crowd and began to belt out her part without hesitation. (It was at that moment I thought to myself, “this child is not going to fear anything, ever” which pretty much proved to be true.) Now remember, she had just turned 5, we sang corresponding lines, with different words at the same time, and in harmony. And she nailed it! Twenty-three years later, she agreed to sing it with me again at the same church, which was a very gracious appeasement to me.
When I recalled this memory, it gave me the idea for “The Gift Goes On” retreat. I would give my quilting friends a free 3-night retreat, and the retreaters would give one day of their sewing time to work on donation quilts to be given away. Hence, the gift goes on…
The retreat will be Nov. 8-11, 2024, at Prairie Flower Retreats, located at 1343 NE Hebron Rd, Maysville MO. Your only cost will be $100 for your food, catered in by Linda, our lovely chef who always serves us three wonderful meals a day. Bring your machines and projects to work on. The spots are almost filled, but you can call to try and get in at 816-457-0485, or get on a waiting list in case someone has to cancel.
I do think this idea should become an annual retreat. What do you think?
“The Father gave the Son, the Son gave the Spirit, the Spirit gives us life, so we can give the gift of love. And the gift goes on…”