Join us for the 12th Annual Women's Retreat:
Date: Fri., May 14 − Sun., May 16, 2010
Place: Mary & Joseph Retreat Center in Palos Verdes
Retreat Leader: Joyce Stickney, Rector, St. Aidan's Church-Malibu
Cost: The total cost for two nights and five meals for a semi-private room (2 people with attached bath) is $195. Private rooms are $250.A $35 nonrefundable deposit will hold your place.
Register: Registration forms and a sign-up sheet are now available at the patio.

by Deborah Giordano

A Christmas card greeting summed up what I treasure about the annual St. A's Women's Retreat:

• A huge deep breathe every few hours to slow your pace
• A listening ear when you need to be heard
• A private space where you can touch the Spirit
• A surprise for something being Born in you
• A joy-filled moment as you grant Grace in another's life.
• Allowing for the you to enjoy the Divine in this present moment.*

We all know that as women, we have competing demands for our time and attention − care-taking of children, spouses, loved ones…and we all know it's important to slow down, reflect, find fresh opportunities to build and strengthen bonds with God and with our community. So, why do I go to the Women's Retreat, year after year?

I think more in images than words. The image is Mary and Martha. Martha is frenetically working, working, working, to be hospitable, setting the perfect table, creating the perfect space, for Jesus. Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet…taking a deep breath, listening, being inspired by His word; co-creating a private space where she is touched by the Spirit. Martha's complaint is valid. She toils alone, unaided. My heart goes out to Martha, because I am her. Jesus gently rebukes Martha for being "worried and distracted" by her many tasks…and that "Mary has chosen the better part."

I go, because I want to choose that better part. To listen, grow, to walk with this parish community on the spiritual journey.

* StillPoint, Dec. 22, 2009

by Gina Shelton

As women, it is in our genes to want to take care of everyone that we love. Too often we put our own physical, emotional and spiritual well-being last, thinking that our husband's, our children's, our parents' needs are more important than our own. However, to truly be a good wife, mother, daughter, employee, employer, etc. we have to take care of ourselves first.

The St. A's women's retreat has always provided the perfect setting and mood, allowing me to relax and receive God's sustaining grace in my life. Each year I return home feeling more connected and energized. The retreat is an excellent mixture of quiet time for reflection, communion with the nature and sharing/connecting with the amazing women at St

. A's. As an LA transplant, I miss out on the multi-generational support and connection with the women in my family. I realized during my first retreat two years ago that at St. A's, I had found my adopted sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins and even grandmothers.

So this year, instead of thinking of all the duties and responsibilities that cause you not to be able to attend the women's retreat, consider all the benefits that your spirit, mind and body will experience.

by Mary Balthrop

I hope all the women at St. Augustine's, but especially any newcomers, will seriously consider participating in the women's retreat in May. At the time I hesitantly signed up for the 2009 retreat. I had only been attending St. A's for a few months. I knew a few people a little bit but the retreat helped me to know many more and to know them more deeply. Everyone was warm and welcoming and the same hospitable openness that is shared during service and on the patio every Sunday was also present at the retreat. It was a great way to really feel a part of the church community.

To retreat is to step back, to withdraw peacefully from our daily lives in order to consider our spiritual path and direction. At last year's retreat we took time to consider our core personal desires and our true life's purpose. Who has time to consider these things in our everyday world? Our usual focus is necessarily on whether there are still enough bananas in the house or the content and time of our next meeting. We are busy people but we all sense how important it is to pause from our busyness and take time to create a meaningful spiritual life, relationships, and community. The women's retreat gives us the opportunity.