A group of 23 women met at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino to laugh, to cry, and to grow closer as they shared their stories and dreams with each other. Under the gentle guidance of their retreat leader, Dare Cox, together they moved their bodies, danced and chanted, painted, explored their hearts, their histories, and their ways of coping. Some came away with a renewed plan for living and some with a profound sense of peace. All came away well fed, rested and grateful to St. A's for their weekend away. (see "Tending The Holy" by Christine Danelski in this issue).

Below are some of the anonymous evaluations submitted at the end of the weekend. We hope this excerpt gives you a flavor of the weekend and might encourage additional women to consider attending the retreat in the future.

What did you like best about the retreat?

• the quiet rhythm of the weekend and the great workshops.
• the organization, slow, layers building on and slowly into the next phase.
• the leader, she was great and all the pieces interconnected, some of the work was hard though.
• being with a great group, supportive of each other, but very individual and there was plenty of time for quiet reflection.
• the beauty of the plants and participants.
• the meeting in small groups with people.
• getting to know the women better; our meaningful conversations and face to face contact.

What are your comments about our Retreat Leader?

• well prepared, well paced, gentle yet able to move us along, honest, no pretense, brave to get us to dance.
• she leads well in a non-intrusive way – opening her own story as part of the process.
• I think she's lovely. Her quiet energy helped direct us into some difficult self-exam.
• she was great. Lots of great inspiration. I liked how many different resources she used - Jewish, Native American, etc. It all tied together.
• In charge, but also willing to step back. I liked her approach.
• very engaging, inspiring. I liked her pacing, creativity, fresh approach and her willingness to share personal stories (ex. her mandala) brought a dimension/more intimacy to all exercises.
• I think she did an excellent job keeping all of us motivated and making everyone feel included. She was a wonderful leader who still fit into the group.